Compromised
by Spirits Among Stars
Summary: The moment she knew S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised she knew her life was in danger. The moment she left Fury in the safe house she knew she couldn't return until it was over. She couldn't contact anyone; everyone was HYDRA until proven otherwise. S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised. Canon characters will appear and be mentioned. OC-centric.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a sequel to Gabriella Ackerly: Origins, and takes place during and after The Winter Soldier and the end of season 1 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. You don't need to read that to read this but I would recommend it. This fic contains death, some swearing, dark thoughts? and low self esteem. I'll let you know as the chapters go on about other warning.**

 **Thank you for reading and enjoy!**

* * *

The moment she knew S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised she knew her life was in danger. The moment she left Fury in the safe house she knew she couldn't return until it was over. She couldn't contact anyone; everyone was HYDRA until proven otherwise. What Ackerly needed to do was to find and enter the local abandoned safe house. But if S.H.I.E.L.D. was comprised then HYDRA would be there waiting for her. But not this safe house though. Hopefully. S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised and HYDRA rose from the ashes right under their noses. She couldn't believe it but she had to hand it to them the insurrection was well thought out. It happened right beneath them and they had no idea. Nick was fooled. Maria Hill was fooled. She was fooled. Everyone loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. was fooled.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised and they knew everything about her. Aliases, safe houses, past, and the O.R.B.S failure, all of it. She couldn't trust anyone. She had to blend in to the crowd which was hard because of her black prosthesis would alert security scanners and it wasn't that hard to miss either. It was currently hidden under her trouser leg but the foot was noticeable. It had some downsides after all. In the distance behind her, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson took out the Hellicarriers with Hill, Fury and Romanoff being backup. She wasn't entirely sure what they were doing.

Ackerly was being chased by HYDRA. The five pursuing her were on foot as well as she, but she had the advantage. She had much better aim than them and had a superpower that didn't require reloading like guns did. She had no backup, as per usual, so relied on her own skill to take them out. She blast one of them over her shoulder, only taking a quick glance to get the aim right. Luckily the aim was true. The next shot, not so much, it hit a nearby shop window. Ahead of her, cars screeched to a stop as she thundered through the traffic to shake HYDRA off her trail. They weren't so easily fooled.

She continued down the street, firing at the agents when she got the chance. A black SUV skidded to a halt in front of her and she fired a large blast of energy at the vehicle sending it halfway down the street it came from. "Get out of the way!" She yelled at the pedestrians on the path. Shots from the HYDRA agents rang in the air and Ackerly tackled a woman to stop her getting hit by a stray bullet. She apologised and continued off down the street. Ackerly shot and hit another HYDRA in the chest, killing him.

Another SUV pulled in front of her; before she even blink they fired a tranquiliser at her chest. She rolled out of the way but it struck her arm and she stumbled back. Ackerly shook off the shot and fired a large blue blast at the inside of the vehicle; she sprinted away firing another shot at her pursuers. Her vision blurred and suddenly there was two of everything but fortunately, or unfortunately, she was used to tranquiliser effects and could hold off the looming darkness for a while. Most times.

She was already stumbling and staggering down the street at speed and the HYDRA agents were gaining on her. She tried with all her might to continue on but she couldn't. But she had to. To survive. Ackerly fired a blast at one of her pursuers but it disintegrated before it hit them. Stumbling over her legs, she quickly turned it into a shoulder roll but failed to stick the landing, she dropped to a semiconscious heap on the floor. Her palms tickled and sparks flew from them. The air temperature rose around her, a bright flash, then nothing. The sound of running footsteps sounded too close. They said something but it was too distorted; Ackerly swat at the direction of the voice but nothing came of it. She was exhausted and finally let the unconsciousness take over her.

* * *

Talking was what she could now hear. She couldn't place if they were friendly or not, but they were close to her. There were many of them and she hoped they weren't HYDRA. She was on the cold ground but her whole body was warm and no longer ached from the running for her life. "Oh my God!" An elderly woman shouted a few feet from her.

"What happened?" asked a man a little closer to her.

"Is she okay? Look at the place!" shouted another in disbelief.

Ackerly fought her way into the conscious world. Her eyes snapped open and she stared down at charred pavement. Breathing out heavily she sat up, rolled onto her heels and stared at the people around her. "Are you okay? What happened?" A woman asked who was kneeled next to her.

Ackerly rubbed her throbbing head and blinked a few times before answering. The sound of Hellicarriers fighting several miles away from them filled the air. "I... I don't know." And that was the truth. She had no idea what happened.

"I saw this, like, blue light and then there was nothin'!" someone told her loudly.

"Wait a minute!" piped a little girl, moving from her father's leg. "I know you! You were with the Avengers in New York!" The large crowd murmured in agreement as they all came to the same conclusion. Ackerly shakily got to her feet. These peoples' lives were in danger.

"You fought with the Hulk!"

"Stark too!"

"Don't forget Captain America!"

Ackerly's head spun like merry-go-round. "What was your name?" The little girl asked. _God damn it, I need to get out of here. I'm gonna get you all killed._ "Emit! That's it! Emit!" _  
_  
The gathered crowd erupted in concerned voices and requests to take her to hospital. Ackerly shut her eyes and shook her head. The voices got louder and louder and louder. "Please!" She exclaimed. They crowd instantly silenced. "Please. Don't."

"Something bad happen?" The girl asked.

Ackerly nodded solemnly, and she gasped. She looked around at everyone with a heavy heart. Normally she enjoyed young children coming up asking her about the Avengers or have a picture taken but now was not the time for that. HYDRA propaganda would eventually surface and everyone who worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. would be branded as terrorists. Her included. She was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. long before she was an Avenger and her bloody past would end up being revealed to the world. _The poor kids..._ "Please just forgot about this. Don't believe the news reports either. Forget I was here." Before anyone could protest or question, she sprinted away. Away from the crowd. Away from the chaos. Back to the safe house where she hoped it was indeed still safe.

Ackerly darted into an alley away as a black SUV skidded around the corner. Taking the back alleys would be a better option than to run around in the open. She sprinted away again in the direction of the safe house, staying away from the eyes of the street. Her prosthetic leg spasmed, sending her face first into the side of a dumpster. She hit it with a loud thump and rolled onto the floor in a daze. _What the hell was that?_ What made her leg go weird? She shook her head and rolled up her trouser leg and inspected the damage, if they were any. There was nothing. Perhaps it was a glitch but that couldn't be right, Stark gave her his word that nothing could damage this leg. It had the same weaknesses as his Iron Man armour, and it wasn't a long list either.

Ackerly tried to stand but her leg buckled again under her weight. She cursed loudly and settled herself against the cleanest part of the grimy wall. She rolled up the trouser leg again and inspected her prosthetic closer. Again there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. Perhaps it was her then? Maybe she was making herself weak? No, that couldn't be right... _But what happened back there. What did that man say? "I saw this, like, blue light and then there was nothin'!" Hmmm._

Could that be what's making her like this? But no one commented on the state of the... HYDRA agents, where were they? When she awoke they were gone but they were right in top of her... Unless... No, they couldn't have. Ackerly rubbed her face. They couldn't have... disintegrated, could they? She was still learning new tricks about her alien abilities to this day, was that another one? Some kind of defence mechanism maybe? She had no idea. What she did know was that HYDRA was no longer after her, for the time being anyway. She also knew she had to get back to the safe house which was still a few blocks down. She couldn't crawl her way there; she'd have to run it walk at the very least.

Ackerly used the gag inducing, sticky wall to help her stand. She did not want to know what's been done to this wall, whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant. Continuing to move slowly, Ackerly used the line to dumpsters to get the strength in her leg back. It took a little longer than expected. She hoped a little on her left leg and swayed a few times too to kick it into gear. She was still a little shaky but it would have to do. She'd sort it out once she was somewhere safe- if there is such a thing anymore.

She half limped half ran the last few remaining streets to the safe house.


	2. Chapter 2

Ackerly staggered into the small courtyard that was surrounded by other buildings, and almost stumbled into the door leading to the bunker. Pressing where the door handle would usually be, the heavy steel door opened and she lurched in. But she didn't breathe a sigh of relief just yet; she needed to make sure the area was safe before she could relax properly. She moved as quietly as she could down the long flight of stairs and slowed as she reached the large main hub of the bunker. Peeking around the wall, she studied every inch of the computers, tables, chairs and connecting doorways for a long while. After feeling satisfied no one was going to jump out at her, she stepped out of the cover of the wall and ambled into the hub.

It was so silent. Only a few good people knew the existence of this place and luckily they weren't secretly HYDRA. Ackerly could hear the irritating tick tocking of a clock from a few rooms down, she rubbed her ears and continued to look for hostiles. She checked the break room and kitchen, the large gym, the bedrooms and ensuites, the garage, the offices, the other entrance, and the main hub once again, before concluding the search and collapsing on a red couch in the break room. She was the only soul in the entire bunker. Over 7 billion people in the world, roughly 650,000 people over walking her head, and she was the only person in the compound. She had no Orion to keep her busy, no crappy Clint Barton jokes to make her laugh, no Bruce Banner boring everyone aside her and Stark about science, no Maria Hill, no best friend Teagan Meyer or her trainee Shiori Tsukino. It was just her. The loneliness was so overwhelming, she felt like she's about to burst. But she wasn't going to freak out. She was going to remain calm.

Ackerly exhaled a lengthy, calming sigh and pushed herself against the back of the couch. She rolled up her trouser leg and took off the prosthetic, setting it aside to be inspected later. She pulled off the sock and attempted to switch on the television. "Great. No power." She grumbled to herself. "Thank you, HYDRA, that's much appreciated(!)" She tossed the remote back on the coffee table and slumped back, staring at the grey ceiling. She needed to find out which twat HYDRA wanted her dead. It was a long list- all of HYDRA. But who specifically? There was Jasper Mac Eoghain, a long standing member of HYDRA who's tried to kill her at least five times, maybe more. He's also been the leader of a few gang rings and headed an illegal alien tech distribution company selling from within the Fridge. She snuffed him out and gave his name to Fury. He was promptly dealt with.

Then there was her ex-physiotherapist, Doctor Erin Hook. To be honest it came as one hell of a shock to her. She was in the gym, still getting used to having a stump and minding her own business when Hook burst in gun hot and aimed directly between her eyes. Ackerly was so taken aback she fell to the floor and accidentally shot the woman with her terrifying powers. Back in the day she hated having them, it caused her numerous sleepless nights, never-ending tests, nightmares, she vowed never to do it again but people change and she wanted to know what the hell happened to her. So she hesitantly got back on the bandwagon and helped the scientists instead of hindering them. Anyway, Hook was arrested after Meyer and Coulson heard the commotion, which was now a power struggle on the floor of the gym. It turns out Hook was supposed to get close to her, be her friend, before finding a weak spot and shooting her in the skull.

Then there was the array of criminals she's put behind bars and associates of people she's killed trying to get back at her. Ackerly pulled out her ponytail and run a hand through her hair with a sigh. This list would go on forever, she needed to narrow down who was behind it all. There was a main perpetrator who ordered it and she wanted to know who.

The doctor sighed again and sat up. She stretched and rubbed her face. Using the couch for leverage she stood up and hopped her away to the kitchenette. She nearly face palmed the countertop but stopped inches from it. Ackerly pushed up from the counter and rubbed her nose. She made herself a cold cup of tea, this was a tea kind of problem not a coffee one. Then again if coffee was the last drink on Earth she still wouldn't touch it. She placed the cold cup of tea on her palm and heated it with the energy surging through her, it was one of the newer abilities she's picked up over the years along with being able to project a flare to light up darkness. They both came in handy.

Ackerly leaned against the counter and stared out at the hub and its computers through the doorway, stirring her tea absentmindedly. There was no power in the safe house and she didn't particularly want to turn it on just in case HYDRA would show up. She liked being alone but this, this was no time for being alone. All loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents needed to band together to stop HYDRA, then again if they were all in the same place then they'd be sitting ducks. Ackerly sipped her tea thoughtfully. She needed access to a computer or something that would allow her to sneak into HYDRA's mainframe and discover who wanted her dead. But it would be a while before that happened, she had to find out what the hell was wrong with her leg, if there was anything wrong with it at all. It could all be in her head...

Now she was in a predicament, much less than the HYDRA one. She wanted her tea beside her by the table while she worked on her leg but hopping back to the table would end in spilled hot tea and a cleanup job. Neither of which she had time for. She was an idiot for heating it while standing. She scratched her chin, no way on Earth was she crawling over to the table like a half-dead slug, but she could use one of the colourful wheelie stools to row over. God, she'd feel like a moron but at least no one was here to comment on how hilarious she looked. "Ah, screw it. I'm gonna do it." She positioned herself such a way that she would be able to use her right leg to push and get her to the table. The event was successful. After a few hard pushes she made it to the table and grabbed her prosthesis before putting it in front of her and scrambling to the chair at the table. She put her tea beside her.

She studied the prosthetic leg. The socket was in great condition, the joints- knee, ankle and toes- weren't squeaking or grinding against each other. The exterior was immaculate, save from the scratches and tiny dents from fought battles. She took off the calf and inspected the inside workings. Everything was fine. No loose wires, no burnt out CPU, no crushed mechanisms. Ackerly replaced the covering and sat back on her chair with a sigh. What the hell happened then? Was it her?

She held out her hand, it was trembling. She grasped it with her other hand to steady it and stared down at it. God she was a wreck. Did whatever happen the street do this to her? Did this leave her trembling like a leaf on a windy day? She sipped her tea and rubbed her face. She needed to rest. She needed to calm down. She yawned and leaned back on her chair to grab the sock, before slipping back on. She popped on her leg and hesitantly stood up. The leg was okay. It didn't collapse or buckle under her as it did. She was confused about the whole thing but shrugged it off and headed to find a decent bedroom to sleep in.

She picked a colourful bedroom, closed the door and flopped down on the bed. Usually Orion would jump into the bed and sleep beside her, but now he was somewhere in the city and she had no idea where. Ackerly stretched, her bones cracked, and she rolled off the bed onto her feet. She ambled to the bathroom and ran herself a hot bath-using her powers to heat it-, this would relax her, the bubbles would soothe her tired body. She sat on the edge of the bath and took off her prosthesis. Then she stood back up and stripped. She slipped into the warm bath and let it wash her troubles away. Only when the water grew cold and the bubbles disappeared did she get out of the bath and wrap a towel around her. Ackerly hopped back into the bedroom, dried, and crawled into bed with damp hair. Then she fell into a deep restless sleep.

 _The HYDRA agents gained on her. She stumbled over her legs. Wait... I'm watching myself... Watching what happened... She collapsed on a heap on the floor. Ackerly watched her palms spark, no, her entire body spark. The air temperature rose around her. The HYDRA agents were all around her, they talked amongst themselves. One had a gun to her head in case she woke up. A bright blue pulsed from her body. Every single one of them disintegrated silently. They had no warning. They were all atoms on the wind. Dead._

Jolting awake, Ackerly yelped and stared around at the pitch black room, not even the colours could light up the shadows. She wiped sweat from her forehead and fell back on the bed, exhaling. The darkness encased her. A flare rose from her hand and lit the room with a blue glow. She stared at the sparks jumping within it before drifting back to sleep.

 _Click. Click._


	3. Chapter 3

_Click. Click._

The doctor bolted awake in the still darkness. She was not dreaming that. Someone was in the bunker and she was stark naked. Naked and afraid under bed sheets with her clothes, and leg, in the bathroom. On the plus side they sounded far away, so she quietly slid off the bed and hopped as quickly as she could back into the bathroom. She pulled on the sock, prosthesis, underwear and a shirt on in record time before leaving the bedroom, barefoot.

Her senses stood on end as she headed towards the recurring click clicking. It was an odd sound, it wasn't lockpicking or boots on the floor, it was more like... claws? Great, and animal had gotten in... or let in. But the bunker door closed behind her? Did it? Did she leave it wide open? No, it definitely closed behind her. Or did she? Was this her fault her? No. Was it? She shook her head free of the thoughts and continued towards the strange claw sounds. They lead her to the computer hub of the old bunker.

She peered around the entrance into the hub. Someone had a flashlight. Ackerly swallowed and calmed her increasingly rapid breathing. _Click._ She turned and something tackled her to the ground. Before she could even fire at the assailant, they licked her face with a rough tongue. It couldn't be? She caught a flash of bright blue eyes as the light cast over them. Orion, her blue merle border collie slobbered all over her face with the biggest grin she's ever seen. She was in disbelief, how the hell did he get here?

"I knew I'd find you here."

Ackerly craned her neck to look at the source of the voice. "Shiori!" She squeaked happily. She was no longer alone. She had Shiori and Orion. "Orion!" She laughed whole heartedly as Orion clambered off her and nudged for a hug. "Oh my God!"

"It's nice to see you too, doc." The Japanese trainee said grinning.

After a tight hug with Orion, Ackerly got to her feet and hugged Shiori. "You have no idea who much I've missed you! What happened to you? Where did you find Orion?" She pulled away and put her hand on Shiori's shoulders. "What happened to you? What time of day is it? What's happened to-?"

Shiori cut her off holding up a finger, "One at a time, doc. Firstly I made it out of the Triskellion shortly after Rogers made his announcement. Seeing as you weren't with him, I thought to look for you at some of the old flats you owned. I couldn't find you and wondered the streets for a bit. I found Orion pawing at some charred ground with this kid trying to pet him and get him to come with her. Orion wasn't having any of it. It's now midnight. And with Rogers, Romanoff and the others, they're all in hiding. The Hellicarriers-"

"I know about them, I was tuned into their radio frequency before I was attacked by HYDRA, I lost my ear piece during the struggle and haven't heard anything since. The power doesn't work in here and I daren't turn it on. What else?"

"Not much else really. HYRDA is still kicking S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ass."

"Isn't there a task force run by Hand back at the Hub?"

Shiori nodded, "There is but I knew you wouldn't go and risk their lives by being there."

"You know me too well." Ackerly remarked. Shiori nodded. "And I won't be returning there until I have this HYDRA group off my ass."

"Doc."

"Yeah?"

"Why the hell are you in your underwear?"

The doctor laughed, "I had a bath and slept naked. You woke me up and this is all I had time to put on."

"Oh," Shiori said understanding, "sorry to wake you."

"Don't worry about." Ackerly paused before speaking, "Did you mention something about Orion pawing at charred ground?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Ackerly patted Orion's head, then rubbed the back of her neck, "I may have been the culprit of that?"

"Get out of here! What?!" Shiori exclaimed, disbelieving.

Ackerly nodded slowly, "Yeah... I think it was me... I did it and killed a bunch of HYDRA in the process. I think it's some kind of defence mechanism- I'm not really sure." If she told Shiori about her weird dream about seeing it from a third person view she'd think she was a complete lunatic. More so than she already did.

"So what happened to you then?" Shiori asked. "Why did HYDRA attack you?"

"Do you really need to answer that question? I'm a scientific mystery and they really want to know what happened to me, I can't blame them for that and it doesn't help that I'm a close friend of Fury who knows a load of secrets."

"Yeah, you have a point there." They wandered through the bunker back to the break room. Shiori sat down on the couch and Ackerly sat beside her. "Someone's after you and you want to know who."

Ackerly nodded, "Yep. Someone ordered those hit men to chase me and I need to know who. They timed the attack right too, just as HYDRA announced themselves and locked down the Triskellion they sent them to attack me. I was chilling trying to find this place when they attacked. I don't think I've run so fast in my life."

"Then you killed the HYDRA agents and came here."

"I did." Ackerly nodded slowly. She glanced at the woman beside her. "It is good that you are here but I must warn you about the risk to your life being with me. Anyone I know is just as much as a target as I am."

Shiori met her gaze, "Doc, I'm willing and ready to risk it."

She smiled at the younger woman and stood up, "Right then. See if you can find a way to get this place up and running without alerting HYDRA. I would but," Ackerly picked at her slightly trembling hand, "I'm going to get changed and see if I can figure out, from a long ass list, who wants me dead."

Shiori nodded then stood up with concern coming over her features, "Are you alright, doc?"

Ackerly raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, why?"

The Japanese woman glanced down at Ackerly's shaking hand. "You're on edge and if you really don't want the power on just say." She smiled at the older woman.

"No. We need it on. I didn't turn it on before because there is no power. We need to kick this bunker back in life and have it safe again. I want this place on lockdown."

"I'll find a way, doc, I always do." Shiori departed to locate the generator room.

Ackerly looked down at Orion. The dog whimpered and nudged Ackerly's prosthesis. "I don't know what's up with it either, boy. I think it's just me. And you know I don't really like being alone." She patted the Orion's head and they wandered back to her bedroom.

Once there Ackerly put back on her discarded clothes and went to find Shiori. Screw it, she was going to help. Thinking could wait. They ambled through the bunker and found the trainee under a generator. "What are you doing under there?" She asked, folding her arms.

Shiori banged her head on the generator and crawled out from under the generator. She rubbed it and spoke, "Well there are no fuses in the box and I noticed a wire coming under here. Bad news is this whole thing is shot. There's no way we're getting power."

Ackerly sighed and rubbed her face. "Okay, is there any way to jury-rig something so I can send power into the machine?"

Shiori paused, standing up, as she thought then after a while she nodded. "Yeah. I think so but it'll take some time."

"How long?"

She rubbed her chin. "An hour? Maybe more. I don't know what I've got until I have a proper look at everything."

Ackerly nodded, "Alright. Do you need a hand or not?"

"No, I'll be alright. I do prefer working alone."

She had to agree with her there, that was something they both had in common. They liked to work alone. An extra person could do something wrong and mess up what you were doing sending great work down the toilet in seconds. Ackerly nodded in understanding. "If you need me just shout. I'll hear you." She patted Orion's head and they wandered back to the break room.


	4. Chapter 4

Ackerly sat on the edge of the couch with Orion's head laying on her lap. "Where were you, eh? What were you doing before Shiori found you?" He pawed her and shook his head. "Trying to find me? Thanks, boy. And you found where I... exploded, huh? I'm glad I picked you, I knew you were destined for good things." Orion barked agreeingly and she laughed a little. She ruffled his head. "What should I do now? Shiori's working away and I'm just sitting here, useless." If it was possible or not Orion actually looked annoyed at her, if he was Human he'd be rolling his and grinding his teeth. She sighed at him, "You want me to use my head and think about who wants me dead, don't you?" The dog nodded his head. "Alright. Where do I begin?"

An hour or so later Shiori shouted for Ackerly to come back to the generator room as she managed to have it ready for her. She wandered into the room and Shiori thrust a USB looking device into her hand. "Keep hold of that, doc." The trainee said, dashing about the place. "That connects the machine to you. And these," she snapped on large crocodile clips to the USB attaching her to the machine that would measure now much power she was putting into the machine, "these will keep you tethered to that machine. If you start feeling uncomfortable let me know and we'll stop." Ackerly nodded at the information. "Please have that device in between both hands and we shall begin."

The doctor obeyed and put it between her palms. Shiori switched on the machine and took a step back to watch. Ackerly closed her eyes, breathing in a steady rhythm and slowly power flowed from her into the generator. She needed to give it at least half power of what it would usually use because it would be able to generate more power to compensate from the loss. Ackerly cracked open on eye to find Shiori watching on intently.

"Fascinating." The younger woman muttered.

"What is, Mister Spock?" Ackerly asked with a little chuckle.

"How this happened to you." Shiori said. Ackerly opened her eyes fully and looked at the woman to continue. "I mean, like, I read the report, if you hadn't killed that woman she'd have your abilities and you'd be dead. What if it was meant to happen? What if you and her were the only two people in the world that could use O.R.B.S? Perhaps there _was_ a different way things could have gone that wouldn't have resulted in the loss of your leg? Maybe you _were_ supposed to gain those powers."

"Are you saying that some higher being wanted me to become what I now am?" Ackerly questioned.

She nodded, "Yeah. You always say things happen for a reason so maybe this was meant to happen." A few lights flickered on.

Ackerly nodded slowly. She did believe that most things happened for a reason but this could've been avoided. Shiori was right though... if she didn't kill that woman then she'd be the one who gained the power, using it for God knows what. That woman. Ackerly never found who she was or what her group were doing on the Hellicarrier all those years ago. She had a feeling Fury knew or still does know who they were, but she had to accept that she wouldn't know. That woman. That woman rose from the dead after being shot in the head.

 _Something grabbed her leg and yanked her to the ground. She landed hard and gasped in pain. Ackerly's eyes widened. The person who stood by O.R.B.S survived the gunshot to the head._

 _The woman put a finger to her lips and hushed the doctor._

Orion started barking. Power surged from Ackerly though the machine, causing it to spark and explode, plunging them into pitch black darkness. "Doc!" Shiori shouted, her voice full of concern in the darkness.

Ackerly was in the corner with her eyes squeezed shut. _Damn it!_ Where ever she went that woman was following her, she though she'd lost that crazy eyed lady a long time ago but no, she was still haunting her. _She didn't die!_ Ackerly shot her clean in the head and she didn't die! She died on the second time but there shouldn't have been a second time! Her whole body trembled and her skin grew clammy.

"Doc?" Shiori asked again. Orion pawed at the doctor's leg attempting to calm her down. And it worked. Her breathing slowly returned to normal and her heart was no longer threatening to burst out of her chest. "Gabriella!" Shiori must've spotted her because she was now kneeling beside her. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

Ackerly nodded her head and tried to make out the younger woman's silhouette on the darkness. "I just... We don't have power, do we?"

"Doc, I think-"

"Do we have power, Shiori?" She cut in with a snap.

"No."

"Can we get power back?"

"Yes." The trainee said reluctantly.

"Then let's get back to work."

"No!" Shiori snapped back and Orion barked in agreement with her. "You nearly had a panic attack and need to take a break. Orion, take her back to her bedroom and I'll come by after I finish up here."

Ackerly held her tongue and slowly stood up on shaky legs. Orion nipped at her heels until she started moving to her bedroom and he nudged her with his nose when she slowed down a bit too much. The pair made it to her bedroom and she flopped down on the bed like a dead fish, exhaling for a considerable amount of time after she landed. Orion leaped onto the bed and rubbed his head against her arm with a quiet whine. She was still sweating, shaking and her mouth was as dry as a desert. No matter how hard she swallowed her mouth was still dry. She closed her eyes and thought of something happy to get her mind off...

She recalled the day she was accepted into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Academy of Operations after washing out a year previous, having only a week of hardcore training under her belt. She spent the rest of that year getting herself fitter than she thought her body possible and was rewarded by getting a place again. That was one of the most happiest moments of her life and she was ready.

Shiori knocked softly on the door bringing her back to the present. "Can I come in, doc?"

Ackerly opened her eyes, flickering her gaze to the door. She nodded, "Yeah, come in."

She ambled in wearing a smile and carrying a cup of tea. "I got some power working, so I made you this." She put it down on the table and sat on the edge of the bed beside Orion.

Ackerly sat up a little. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem, doc." Shiori smiled in response. "How are you?"

"Better." She replied with a little shrug. She stared up at the ceiling and asked, "How long do we have power for?"

"If we ration it well, it could stretch over four days. Once you're feeling more like yourself we could do it again, you know, if you want." Judging by the tone of her voice, Shiori was deeply concerned about her and her almost panic attack. But she couldn't tell her what happened they had more important things to worry about than her wellbeing. If they don't find out who wants her dead she'll have no being to worry about.

Ackerly nodded still gazing up at the ceiling. "Yeah. In a while."

They sat in silence for a moment. "Is there anything you want me to do?" Shiori asked.

"There is. Check S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA communication frequencies and records from the last few days- go back weeks if you have to. If you need clearance or stuff like that ask me and I'll see what I can do."

"Got it." The trainee stood up with a nod of her head and headed for the door.

"Thank you."

Shiori paused mid-way through the door and turned her head to face her, "What for?"

"Being here."

A small smile formed on Shiori's lips before replying, "You're welcome." And then she left, leaving her with Orion who was watching his owner with curiosity.

"I think a nap is a good idea." She muttered, Orion's head bobbed up and down on her shoulder in agreement. "Okay, I will. Bark if you sense anything." The dog nodded again and Ackerly quickly drifted off into a nap that would hopefully relieve her of her stresses.


	5. Chapter 5

Ackerly's nap turned into a slumber. She slept for five hours straight where the only interruptions were Orion's snoring and the light hum of the generator. At first, when she awoke she had no idea how long she was out for- she thought maybe 20 minutes at the most- but when she found Shiori working at a computer the trainee almost jumped out of her skin hearing her SO behind her, expressing that her 'nap' was five hours long and when she went to check on her earlier she let her asleep with Orion because she looked exhausted. Ackerly was miffed that she didn't wake her sooner but was thankful for the extra shut eye. And she needed it. Most of her recent sleeps have been far from peaceful but this one, this one she slept like a log.

Ackerly pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat down beside Shiori who was still going through S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA communication files. "So have you found anything?" She asked leaning on the table.

Shiori shook her head. "No. Nothing yet but there are a lot of files to go through."

The doctor nodded and patted the younger woman in the back. "I have faith. You can do it." Shiori smiled at that and turned her attention back onto the computer. Ackerly then shuffled to the computer next to the young Japanese woman and started her search from whoever wanted her dead. Two computers working on this were much better than one. She'd return to the generator room later, as long as they still had power she didn't need to return, working at the computer was more important for the time being.

"Shiori?"

"Yeah, doc?"

"I apologise for neglecting my SO duties."

"Don't be. You've been insanely busy with the Avengers and all that, I understand. Besides, I've learned almost everything you've taught me."

They worked until their stomachs grumbled. Unfortunately there was very little food in the bunker consisting of mostly non perishables, so unless they wanted pasta a la spam for breakfast then they needed to do a supply run. Shiori volunteered to go and they wrote down a list of things they needed, food- both human and dog- toiletries and clothes if she could get her hands on some. Shiori said she'd be back in about two hours or so and promptly left the safe house. Now Ackerly had two hours to herself. She wasn't that hungry so decided to head to the gym and work off the last of the food.

Entering the gym, she tossed her jacket aside, rolled up her shirt sleeves and headed to the punch bag. She needed to keep her strength up, she couldn't have her body lack it because a well dealt punch could be the difference between life and death. Orion sat against the wall and watched her fight it. She couldn't bare the quietness of the gym, whenever she trained it was to music that empowered her. Silence didn't do that. Silence was just dull but she continued punching and kicking nonetheless.

The two hours flew by. When Ackerly glanced at the gym's clock to check the time she stared at it for a long while. She had been going for the whole two hours? It didn't even feel like one hour had passed. She lowered herself onto her feet from the chin up bar and gathered up her things. About an hour ago she took off her shirt and worked out in her tank top, she grabbed the shirt and flung her jacket over her shoulder. Calling for Orion, she left the gym with him quickly at her heels. Shiori did say she would take an hour or so, so a quick shower wouldn't hurt, even though the water was tolerably cold. After that they ambled back to the break room as Ackerly dried off her hair and tied it back up.

Shiori wasn't in the room so Ackerly settled down on the soft couch and Orion jumped up, spreading his whole body over her legs. They'd go numb after a while but Ackerly didn't care, she loved at dog. It was still hard to believe that he was the runt of a litter of five. He was so tiny but when she first laid eyes on the small bundle of fur in the corner of the basket, she knew he was the one for her. She reached out to him speaking quietly to not disturb him and his bright blue eyes stared right at her. He barked once and nuzzled her hand. She named him Orion because he was a fighter and had splotches of colour on his back that resembled the constellation.

Ackerly glanced at the clock, half an hour had passed. She'd give Shiori another half hour before going out and investigating her whereabouts. She nudged Orion off her legs and kicked the right one into life. She stood up and made her way to the computer she was on earlier and resumed the search for who gave the order to have her killed. It was a long list and would take a while to narrow down.

Half an hour later and Orion stared barking. It made her jump and her eyes snap to the barking dog. "What is it boy? Shiori back?" He got to his feet and headed towards the ground entrance and she followed after him, readying herself for a fight. They scampered up the stairs to the entrance. Above them the door opened and Shiori stepped in.

Ackerly breathed out a sigh it relief. "What time do you call this?" She asked hiding that she was worried about who was going to walk through the door.

"Sorry, HYDRA is everywhere." Shiori said as they walked back down the stairs.

"So what did you get?" The doctor eyed the bags she carried.

"I got some new clothes, underwear, food for us and Orion, and some scavenged ammunition." Shiori rumbled through the bags as she spoke. She handed Ackerly her things, "Get changed and I'll put away the food."

"That's fine by me." Ackerly flashed a smile at the younger woman and went back her bedroom to change. Once that was done she returned to Shiori. She found her feeding Orion and eating a burger herself. "Anything for me?" Shiori nodded and tossed her a different burger.

"We needed a pick me up and I thought these will do just fine." Shiori took a bite of the burger and ambled over to the computer Ackerly had worked at earlier. "You got a lot of work done while I was gone."

Ackerly shrugged, "Not really, I just got rid of some files that weren't relevant."

"Even so any work is a lot of work for us." She said. The doctor nodded in agreement.

"Once we've figured out who wants me dead and dealt with them accordingly, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I may go back to the Hub and help out there if everything goes well. Other than that... I really don't know. What about you?"

"I'll help out with rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D. if I can. I might see if I can track down the elusive mister Barton and if I can't find him I'll go dark. The world's seen enough of me for the time being and I've had enough of the world."

"Haven't we all?"

Orion barked in agreement and the two women laughed. "Back to work?" Ackerly asked.

"Back to work." Shiori agreed. They tossed their burger wrappers in the bin and returned to the computers.


	6. Chapter 6

Shiori exclaimed, "Ackerly! Check this out!"

"I'm right next to you, there's no need to shout." She replied, leaning over to look at her computer screen.

"Sorry, anyway! Look here. There are at least three deleted communication files from the last week and another three the day HYDRA attacked you."

"Can you find out who deleted them? Or what they contain?"

"I'll have a go," Shiori got to work on the computer. "...But it might take a while."

"Just be as quick as you can."

"Will do, doctor."

While she waited Ackerly made herself a cup of tea and a cup of coffee for Shiori. She may hate the foul smell but she sucked it up and got on with it. She placed it beside Shiori on the desk and watched the hacker work, leaning on the back of the sofa. Orion sat on Ackerly's left foot and her other one tapped the floor leisurely. Shiori didn't seem to mind Ackerly lingering over her shoulder and if she did she wasn't showing it.

Shiori glanced over her shoulder to her, "You might want to take a walk, doc. Whoever did this knows that they're doing, they've hidden the files well. Give me half an hour."

Ackerly glanced down at Orion. "You heard that, boy? Time for a walk." Orion jumped up from the foot he sat on and she took a final sip of her tea. "Alright. I'll see you later."

"HYDRA are everywhere, be careful."

"Aren't I always?"

Shiori nodded in agreement and Ackerly left the hub with Orion at her heels. They wandered up the stairs towards the exit. They wouldn't go far, only to stretch their legs and to check the skyline for any HYDRA drones and the like. She doubted they would be up there but she couldn't risk them finding the bunker. The drones were good but she had her ways of eradicating them, much to HYDRA's anger.

Having reached the entrance Ackerly glanced at Orion, she pushed open the door and they stepped out into fresh D.C air. She took a deep breath and Orion bounded around happily. Stretching her body, her bones gave out satisfying cracks and pops and her stump felt better than ever. Fresh air did wonders for the body and she was glad it did. Ackerly glanced around- she sensed no danger- and fired a test blast of energy into the opposite wall. Where it hit, it left behind a burn mark that made her smile smally. "Alright, Orion, let's go for a walk."

They left the safety of the tall surroundings and wandered onto the city streets. The pair stayed within a block radius of the bunker but remained nonchalant as to not alert anyone there was a S.H.I.E.L.D. bunker nearby and that she was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. The people ignored her and it was how it should be. She doesn't mind the recognition she gets from New York but sometimes it can be overwhelming and unwelcoming. They ambled down the street with their senses heightened, ready for danger. Ackerly glanced around at her surroundings. People went about their daily business completely unaware of what was transpiring under their noises. They would be in the dark but not for long however. The news outlets would be quick to jump on the 'S.H.I.E.L.D. is a terrorist organization' bandwagon if the right someone gave them their ammunition. HYDRA had people everywhere and you wouldn't be surprised where they end up; news anchors, lawyers, but they were mainly killers.

When she glanced at her watch she noticed that she had been walking for longer than she realised. She had been ambling about for half an hour so it was quickly decided they'd head back to the bunker. As she walked back she kept her eyes and senses peeled for any sign of the enemy, she also watches Orion's actions because his were much more find tuned then hers- he was a dog after all. Sensing no threat, they reached the hideout and swiftly entered the underground building. Shiori was still working at the computer but much less speedy than before.

"How goes things?" Ackerly asked as she entered the hub with Orion at her heels.

Shiori acknowledged her presence with a glance in the doctor's direction. "I'm almost there, I can feel it, but you'll be happy to know that whoever hid the files aren't as good as me." Ackerly smiled and sat down next to the hacker. After a few minutes Shiori exclaimed, "Aha! Got you!"

"Who?! What?!" Ackerly shouted back, startled.

"They were deleted by HYDRA, of course, but the specific person is a Darrell Palmer or his computer at least." She turned her head to look at the doctor, "Do you know him?"

"Last I heard Darrell Palmer has been dead for the last ten years." Ackerly replied.

"Alias?"

Ackerly shook her head. "No, I don't think so. He was an Engineer, nothing outstanding on HYDRA's radar. Do you know where they were deleted from?"

"Hang on... Yeah, here we go, the three from last week were deleted from the Triskellion and the others from an Internet Café a few miles away but I can't find the actual time it happened."

"Would it help if you had access to the computers of the café?"

Shiori nodded slowly, "Yes, it would. And perhaps you could use the café's CCTV to find out who ordered your assassination?"

"Good idea, I'll get on that straight away." Ackerly said smiling.

Shiori stood up and the doctor followed shortly. "We're going to need to stay in contact and off the grid."

"We sure do. Do we have anything for the job?"

Shiori nodded, "As a matter of fact I do." She led the older woman over to the kitchen counter where her bag was. "I grabbed a few things from the Triskellion as everything went down. One such thing was," she opened it and fumbled around for a moment or two, "Aha! These." Shiori turned back to Ackerly and handed her a small earpiece. "I've got them tuned into our little network here, no one will know we're even still in the city, except us."

"Remind me to have you promoted if S.H.I.E.L.D gets back together again." Ackerly remarked, putting in her earpiece. Shiori beamed adjusting hers in her ear. "Do they work?"

The younger woman nodded, "They should."

"Should?"

"Do you want to test them?"

"Yes, please."

Shiori chuckled lightly and took off out of the room. After a few minutes the earpiece crackled into life. " _Can you hear me, doc?_ "

"It's a little crackly."

" _That's because we're both underground, on land we won't have a problem_."

"Good. Come back and we can discuss a plan."

" _Alright._ "

When she returned to the hub, they sat down and thought of a plan. "Can you access the city's cameras?" Ackerly asked the hacker.

"I can, but it it take time for me to make sure no one knows we're watching."

"Right. Get the cameras linked up here, you'll be my eyes and ears outside the café. What about radio chatter; police, HYDRA?"

Shiori paused to think then slowly nodded, "Yeah, I think I can do that... Yeah."

"Get into everything you can, we need all the advanced warnings we can muster. I want to know when HYDRA spots me and how long it will take for me to get out. Got it?"

"I've got it."

"Excellent. Now let's get going. You can have Orion. Too many people know he's tied to me." Shiori nodded at that and Ackerly got up and left, throwing on her jacket and covering her black prosthetic the best she could.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to Shiori's directions, Ackerly made it to the Internet Café where the communication files were deleted. In her pocket, she switched on the little device Shiori gave her to allow her access to the CCTV and computers in the café. She covered the earpiece with her hair and wandered into the slightly busy café. " _I can see you. Scratch your nose of you can hear me._ " Ackerly scratched her noise. " _Okay, good. It's the computer in the far end of the café. The one with the pear sticker on it._ " She ambled through the café and sat at the computer. " _Alright, just give me a sec... I'm in. Now act busy so it doesn't look odd that you're just randomly sitting a computer doing nothing._ "

Ackerly brought up the internet browser and started searched the web for the latest news she could find regarding S.H.I.E.L.D and HYDRA. Naturally she didn't find much. " _Holy shit!_ " Shiori shouted in her ear causing her to flinch. " _Sorry... Hand is dead!_ "

Ackerly mouthed, 'What?!'

" _Killed by HYDRA._ "

'Damn.'

" _I second that. Now what do we do?_ "

'Keep at it.'

" _Okay._ " After a few moments of a silence, the hacker spoke again. " _I'm getting there slowly. That's computer has been empty the past few weeks, then again most if them has as the business is going down hill. Anyway! I need you to stay a few minutes longer so I can download everything and work on it on your way back here._ "

Ackerly sighed and glanced to the large windows at the front of the café. "Umm."

" _I see them too. Give a few more seconds._ "

The doctor slowly got up from her seat, daring not to take her eyes off the HYDRA outside. "Shiori." She grumbled.

" _Hang on!_ "

"Do we have what we need? We don't need everything." A few people in the café stared at her because she looked like she was talking to herself.

" _Hang on!_ " Ackerly's foot bounced, ready to run. " _Got it! Go! Use the back door! Go!_ " On that cue she took off towards the back door and burst through it just as HYDRA entered the building.

"How the hell did they find me?!" The doctor shouted, kicking open the exit that lead into the back alley. She slammed the door shut behind her and welded it close with a quick spark.

" _I don't know! Everything is secure. They must've already been trying to look for you._ "

She sprinted away making sure to stay far from the streets. She had to loose them before she even thought about getting back to the bunker. "Lock the place down until I get there. It'll take a while to lose them. Make sure they haven't found a backdoor into our systems and it's radio silence from here on out."

" _See ya when you get back, doc._ "

Ackerly heard the HYDRA agents banging furiously on the welded door, but she continued to run in case others decided to show their faces. A HYDRA SUV skidded to a halt in front of her, sliding open the door and firing. She deflected the bullets into a nearby brick wall and sent a blast into the van, sending it on its side. Sprinting away, she fired another blast at those scrambling out before they had a chance to shoot and kill her. Dying would be a real inconvenience right now, she had far too much to do. She slid around a corner and ducked in between two dumpsters hearing the sound of guns cocking ahead of her.

"Our boss knows what your trying to do, Doctor Ackerly." said a voice she recognised clearly. It was Jasper Mac Eoghain. "And you're not gonna know who ordered your murder, and, for the record, Palmer has nothing to do with this- only his computer." He's been dead for ten years and they were deleted from his computer? Surely it wasn't his computer any longer unless he had another one somewhere in the Triskellion, and she wasn't going back in there. "Show yourself and this will all be over."

Blue sparks flickered off her right hand and she quickly tucked it in her jacket sleeve, now was not the time for explode and disintegrate everything with a heartbeat, it was the time for patience.

"Just let me kill you. I promise I'll make it swift."

 _Yeah, not gonna happen,_ she thought. She could see the top of his head from where she sat and his friend not to far from him. She could take them both out, she had the element of surprise but she wanted to know who wanted her dead. It was settled. She'd kill the other guy and then try and force Jasper to tell her what she wants to know. Hopefully it would work. If not... well she'd improvise.

Lifting herself onto the balls of her feet as quietly as she could, she freed her right hand from her sleeve and rubbed her palms together. She had seconds to react before they turned and shot her. Ackerly took a deep breath and attacked. Jumping to her feet, she shot at the other thug and fired on Jasper to stun him. He rolled out of the way of the blast and shot at her. She deflected the bullet, then fired another stun blast. It struck him in the arm as he dodged but that was enough for her to tackle him to the ground. Knocking away his gun, she straddled his hips and pinned his arms behind him with her hand.

"How wants me dead?" She questioned.

"You know I'm not going to tell you."

In one move she stepped off him, grabbed his collar and forced him into the nearby alley wall. "At least give me a hint then if you won't tell me. Make it easier for me to search."

Jasper narrowed his eyes at her, "I dunno, should I?"

"Yes." She bit.

"One hint?"

"Or more, whatever."

"They're well hidden."

She stared at him incredulously, "Really? Is that it."

"You know them." He said with a smirk. Ackerly took a deep breath and tightened her grip on Jasper. "No more hints. That's all you're getting, I'd rather die."

"Do you have a family?" She asked with a titled head.

"No, why?"

"Just curious." She put her palm on his chest and killed Jasper with a blast to the heart. She carefully lowered him into the ground, grabbed his communication devices, and sprinted away from the crime scene. The one who wanted her dead was someone she knows and was well hidden. That meant she couldn't rule Shiori out of the equation, she had to keep her wits about her. She knew a lot of people. A few of which would have a reason to kill her because they were HYDRA. Erin Hook, Kibwe Afolayan was Erin's friend and nurse, Elias Bauer was an escaped criminal who had super strength, Anaïs Germain was part of her class at Ops who clearly disliked her and was part of an assassination attempt on her life a few years back, and there were many more who wanted her dead- people she once called friends, criminals, and all of HYDRA.


	8. Chapter 8

Shutting the bunker door behind her, Ackerly took two steps at a time down the stairs to get to the computers. "Shiori! Please tell me we got something!"

"Oh, we got something alright." The younger woman replied, acknowledging the doctor's arrival. She smiled. "The files were deleted three hours before you were attacked. Now, unfortunately I've still been unable to find out why they would use Palmer's computer, but, take a look at who deleted them from the café."

Ackerly stopped behind Shiori as she paused the surveillance video, whose static gave them both a clear look of the deleter's face. "Son of a bitch." She folded her arms and sighed. Though the picture was slightly pixelated, there was no mistaking the balding head, dark eyes and bulky figure of the man she put behind bars. "Elias Bauer." She glanced down at Shiori. "What's a mercenary like him doing in a suit like that? Who's he working for?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, doc." She met Ackerly's gaze. "Bad?"

"Oh, you have no idea. He took out a team of ten before I could even lay a hand on him, and that was before all the O.R.B.S stuff went down." Pulling out a chair, she sat down and rested her elbow on the table, rubbing her chin. "He doesn't have the resources for something like an assassination. He's working for someone. Did anyone accompany him?"

Shiori accessed a wide angle camera view and played the ten minutes time-lapse of Elias being there. "As you can see, inside: nope. Outside," she switched the view to outside the café and the jeep he got out off, "yep. There's someone in that car."

"Zoom and enhance, if you can." Shiori did her best to zoom and enhance the still but they couldn't see past the tinted windows. "The figure in the driver's seat is definitely a woman." The doctor leaned back in her chair. "Well that narrows things down considerably, but... hmm. I've put away a similar numbers of women as I have men, luckily only a few can afford such a high-end suit. I'm surprised they made one big enough for him."

"Tailored."

"Yep."

"So what do we do now? Track him? Find out who's in the car?" Shiori asked.

Ackerly pinched her nose and closed her eyes. What to do know was the question. Elias was the key to the whole thing but he would be the bodyguard of the woman in charge, if she was the one in charge, that is. "Oh!" Shiori jumped out of her seat at the sudden outburst. "I took Jasper's phone and ear piece." She pulled them out of her jacket pocket and placed them on the table. She looked at Shiori, "You know what to do."

"Find the location of the last known received or made call." With that they went to work on the phone and the earpiece, trying to find where Jasper's last call was and where it was picked up. This was good, very good. They had a lead and hopefully it could lead them somewhere. But she knew not to give her hopes up. The calls could be bounced off dozens of communication towers and put through layers of protection to stop exactly what it was they were doing. They needed something that pushed them in the right direction. It made sense that Elias was working with whomever he was. When she knocked him down, he warned her that, the next time he saw her, he would crash her head in his hands. She simply laughed him off, in hindsight, that was a bad idea.

"This makes no sense." Shiori's voice broke through the silence.

"What doesn't?"

"I traced the end of the call to... here."

The women stared at each other. In a beat, they were on their feet with weapons in hand, Shiori had her gun and Ackerly had her powers. "You're Jasper's boss?"

"No! You are!" Shiori shouted.

"I'm the one he wants dead! I wouldn't order my own death!"

"People do crazy things."

"Yes, but I'm not that crazy."

"Orion?"

"Really?" Ackerly asked incredulously, "He's a dog."

Shiori shrugged, "You never know."

"Wait a second, wait, wait, wait." The doctor said, holding her hands up defensively, blue energy fading from them. "Wait a second."

"What?" Shiori eyed the woman in front of her. Ackerly gave her a look. "Oh." She lowered her gun. 'We're not alone.' she mouthed.

Ackerly nodded her head, 'Search the place.'

"Sorry about jumping to conclusions, doc." Shiori said. If anyone was here, they could be listening, they needed to find the best way to search the bunker without alerting suspicion and luckily Shiori knew exactly what she wanted to do.

"It's fine. I think we should probably take a break from each other for a few hours." Ackerly suggested. "We've been in each others company for a while."

The Japanese woman nodded, "Yeah, that's a good idea."

"I wouldn't leave the bunker, I think I probably upset a few HYDRA by killing Jasper."

"I wasn't planning too."

Ackerly headed towards the main corridor with Orion at her heels. "I'll be wandering around should you need me."

"I'll be in the Generator room and here should you need me." Shiori said with chuckle. They silently nodded at each other and started their individual searches of the bunker for anyone who wasn't them.

If someone was here, how long have they been here and when did they get in? When Shiori arrived? When she did? While she was in the gym and Shiori on the supply run? She wouldn't know until they found someone was here, if someone was here.

They stopped in the corridor and Ackerly glanced down at Orion. Immediately knowing what to do, he started sniffing the air and the floor for any strange scents. She slowly followed behind him as he worked and she scanned her surroundings too. As a result of the O.R.B.S. explosion her all of her senses were enhanced, but not as good as a dog's. Orion pawed the floor and nudged his nose against it, he continued like it until they reached the garage door. He looked up at his owner and pawed the wall.

"Get Shiori." She whispered. Orion bounded away to find her.

Taking a deep breath, she rolled up her sleeves and faced the garage door. She slowly put her hand on the handle and opened it. The cold air rushed in and she stifled a shudder. Senses ready, Ackerly stepped into garage and scanned the scarce cars for a sign of the enemy. She shut the door behind her and stalked slowly around the garage, searching every shadow and sunbeam. Orion's instincts were second to none, so if he smelt someone in here, then there was someone here. Why didn't she see or he smell someone here during the initial search of the bunker? Maybe they didn't come here before her, they came here after.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention and she roundhoused a kick behind her. Her foot contacted with a head and she pivoted to face the assailant. "Oh, come _on_!" Ackerly exclaimed, frustrated. "You want me dead too, Gwen?"

Gwen shook off the kick to the head and smudged blood across her forehead. Her red hair dangled from a messy braid. "Sorry, Ackerly, I've been HYDRA all along."

"Would anyone else like to declare their allegiance to HYDRA while we're at it?" The doctor asked rhetorically.

"Nope, I'm all good."

"Right then..." Ackerly sent a hard kick into Gwen's stomach, forcing the woman off balance and into a backwards. She came out of it with a gun. Ackerly dodged a bullet and fired. It missed, hitting Gwen in her empty hand. Gwen fired again. Ackerly deflected with her powers and forced a stun wave through Gwen's body, knocking her to the ground and sending the gun sliding from her hand. The doctor rushed over and pinned the woman to the ground, making sure her legs couldn't struggle and kick out. "Who wants me dead?" Gwen said nothing. "C'mon Gwen, help an ex-friend out, who wants me dead?" Again silence from Gwen. Ackerly sighed and her jaw clenched. "Give me a location? Name? Something?" Nothing. "If someone wanted you dead don't you think you'd want to know who?!"

"I see your point and raise you... Hell."

Ackerly stared down at Gwen with a furrowed brow. "What the f- oooh. For God's sake!" She gave HYDRA her location but she needed theirs. Having enough of the lacking information, Ackerly hauled Gwen into her feet and bent her arm in a way that, should a little more pressure be added, it would break. "Give me a location." She snarled in the shaking woman's ear.

Gwen bit her tongue for a few seconds before proclaiming, "Seattle!"

"Thank you." In one shift punch Gwen was on the ground dead and Ackerly was out the garage door trying to find Shiori. They literally ran into each other but they steadied themselves so they didn't collapse in a heap. "We need to leave. Now."

"Where to?"

"Seattle."

"How long do we have?"

"Minutes."

"We need transport."

"I've got that covered. We need to grab everything we need and run like a bat out of hell."

And with that the two women and Orion spent record time collecting what they needed, guns, ammunition, food and technology before shutting the place down. "Transport?" Shiori asked throwing a bag over her shoulder.

The echoing sound of the doors bursting open flooded through the hideout. "Follow me." They left the generator room and took off back towards the garage but instead of heading into it, Ackerly kicked the wall beside the doors. It slid opened and they hurried inside with it closing behind them. They sprinted up numerous sets of stairs before reaching the roof. HYDRA shouted loudly from inside the safe house.

"Umm, doctor?" Shiori asked again, looking around the roof. "I sure as hell hope this Quinjet is cloaked."

"Wait for it." Ackerly said. Hopefully her plan would work if not... well she'd make it up as she went along. "Do you have a good grip on everything?"

"Yes?" Shiori said, looking confused. "Why?" A HYDRA Quinjet decloaked above their heads, moving down to land. "Gabriella!"

Ackerly grabbed Shiori by the arm and ran forward. The back of the jet opened and Ackerly fired a knock out blast to everyone inside before shoving the protesting woman in. "Get us in the air!" She shouted as she went to fetch Orion.

"Umm." Shiori murmured, fiddling with her hands.

Ackerly returned with the dog and shut the back door having thrown HYDRA out. "Please tell me you know how to fly this thing."

"Honestly? Not a clue."

Ackerly rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "Didn't I teach you anything... Take out their tracking beacon. I'll get us to Seattle." Shiori nodded and went to work on disabling the Quinjet's tracking beacon so HYDRA couldn't follow them. Ackerly nudged Quinjet into the air and started their fly north west.

"What if it's a trap?" Shiori asked from a hole in the floor.

"Of course it's a trap. But it's the best thing we've got."


	9. Chapter 9

"So," Shiori asked, "what would we be looking for, exactly?" Five minutes in the air, she had disabled the tracking device and settled down beside Doctor Ackerly. Now the Space Needle was in view and needed a plan. They spent most of the journey making sure there were no HYDRA surprises in the jet that would explode them into ashes.

"A HYDRA base." Shiori rolled her eyes at the answer. "But, seriously, there is an old HYDRA hideout around here somewhere and I think..." Ackerly tapped the buttons on a scanning console, "yep, there is it. It still has the above ground entrance, good, good. I'll set us down a few blocks away, in the park."

"Been here before?" Shiori asked as they slowly descended.

"No, I was off site while this was being raided. I headed the team's comms. at the time. It was a nice routine op. But the place is small, only two floors underground and holds about 25 people- give or take. There shouldn't be anyone home."

"Shouldn't?"

"Hopefully."

Shiori sighed and leaned back in her chair, "Pack heat?"

"Yeah, just in case. Squatters could be thing. This could be where we need to be or it _is_ a trap." Ackerly said. They landed behind a line of trees but kept the Quinjet cloaked. Shiori fetched two hand guns and the appropriate ammo while Ackerly talked to Orion. "No, you have to stay here." If the dog was Human he'd be rolling his eyes and folding his arms. "No, you have to stay." He stared at her with wide eyes, he wasn't leaving her side. "I appreciate the offer, Orion, but I don't want to get you killed if anyone is there." He barked in disagreement. She sighed through her nose. "I said no." He whined and head-butted her leg. "No."

Orion looked at Shiori as if to say 'Give me a hand here.' She shook her head, "Sorry, Orion. If the boss says you can't go, you can't go."

"You'll be our backup, boy-o. If anything goes down, you need to help get us out. Got it?" Orion barked. "Good." Ackerly rubbed his head and tossed him a treat. She glanced over at Shiori, "Ready?"

She cocked her gun and nodded, "Let's go."

The two woman left the Quinjet and closed the ramp behind them before setting off to the HYDRA base. Seattle was a busy city. The people went about their daily lives somewhat in the loop about HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. without knowing all the details. That was one thing they would never know- all the details. The noon sun was high in the sky behind a white cloud. "Where's the other entrance for this base? You said it was good that the above ground entry was still here." Shiori said.

"On the last raid we blew it in so there's not much point to using it. It's hidden under grass not too far from here but the one we're going to use is much closer and gives us the higher ground advantage."

"Oh okay." There was a short pause. "Doc?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you decided on whether to get another dog or not?"

"I have actually. I'm thinking of getting a female. A large breed of dog too." Ackerly uttered. "Seeing as Altair and Orion are both male, it's about time I had a female."

"Thought about a name?" The younger woman asked.

"Not yet. But I want to continue the star/constellation naming trend."

Shiori chuckled, "It's a good way to go. Do you miss Altair?"

"I'll always miss that Golden retriever. He was a great companion after my sister disappeared."

"Do you think you'll ever find her?"

Ackerly shrugged, "I dunno. Maybe. If she wanted to be found then she would've contacted someone already."

"What if she's behind all this?"

"Then I will laugh my arse off."

Shiori nodded agreeing, "Yeah, me too."

They approached a long abandoned building that looked like it was once a bakery. "There we go. You can see why I was surprised it was still here." Ackerly said. She walked up to the front door and glanced at Shiori, "There's no going back know."

"Then let's not waste anymore time." She replied with a confident smile.

Ackerly yanked open the rusted door. Stale air from the old base drifted into the fresh midday atmosphere and they ambled in with weapons ready. Shiori quickly closed the door behind them and they wandered through the empty bakery, to the kitchen in the back. They made their way to the large walk in freezer where the stairs would lead to the main levels of the base. Shiori covered Ackerly as she wrenched open the large steel door and stepped inside the open the secret one in the back. With a quick glance down the stairs to check the coast as clear, they descended quietly. It was dark, they daren't switch on their flashlights in case they alerted any HYDRA that were in the base. Ackerly couldn't feel the surge of electricity through the underground meaning that this place has been deserted for the past couple years. She didn't exactly know what they were looking for but she figured she'd know once she saw it.

They reached the first level of the base. The large, desolate floor stretched out ahead of them. Desks, chairs, computers and lights lay smashed and broken on the floor from the raid years ago. Bullet holes peppered the wall and furniture, and the casings littered the floor. Shiori and Ackerly took each end of the floor and slowly walked towards the stairs at the far end. They checked the broken computers for a sign that they had been recently used to no avail. They over turned the dusty desks and chairs for newer technology but found nothing. There were no adjoining rooms leaving nowhere on the huge floor to hide for an ambush. Ackerly looked at Shiori silently asking her if she had spotted anything. Shiori shook her head in response. Ackerly sighed and continued searching. The rest of the effort brought up nothing of significance so they headed to the stairs to continue their search on the floor below them.

The stairs clattered underfoot as they walked down to the second floor. It looked much like the first but had a large break room to their left and bedrooms to their right. It was riddled with bullet holes and bullet casings, and the far wall was a burnt mess falling rubble- the other entrance. Resuming their search, they each took either side of the floor, methodically exploring the rooms and rubble. Every couple of feet there was a smoke or stun grenade laying on the floor covered with dust and dirt. The air was still, the only movement were the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents looking for answers. The appliances in the kitchen were broken and burnt, sprayed with bullets and dried blood. The cabinets were barely hanging onto the wall but a few had already fallen. The bedrooms were scruffy and covered in layers of thick dust. Remnants of the previous owners were lackluster and cleared out in a frenzy. The computers and desks were in a worse condition than the ones above them. They were hastily smashed to the floor and the odd footprint lingered on the destroyed parts.

Ackerly and Shiori regrouped in the middle of the war zone and looked around defeated. They hadn't found anything or anyone that could lead them to who wanted Ackerly dead. The computers were beyond repair and they found no secrets hidden in the walls. It being a trap still rested on their minds that's why they remained silent, exchanging similar frustrated and defeated looks. Shiori gestured above them and Ackerly nodded. They didn't need to be in the godforsaken base any longer. They needed to leave and think of another plan. They ambled back to the stairs and quietly wandered up them. Ackerly sighed and ran a hand through her hair, they hadn't found whatever it was they were looking for. She rubbed her forehead and wiped her hands on her thighs.

A strong hand grabbed her by the collar. Before she could even blink she hit the opposite wall with force, landing like a rag doll among the rubble.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Contains a scene of strangling and most likely bad Danish. If the Danish is wrong, please feel free to let me know.**

* * *

A yelp followed by a painful thud was Shiori being thrown across the floor. Ackerly blinked away the dust from her eyes and looked up at the assailant. "Elias!" She shouted, shocked. Where the hell was he hiding?

He loomed over Shiori and crushed her gun under his boot, then he faced her with an acknowledging grunt. "Doktor."

Ackerly slowly pushed herself up from the floor and slithered up the wall to help her stand on wobbly legs. They were doing this the hard way. She cracked her knuckles and he cracked his neck. They charged. She slid under his legs and fired at a blast at his back. Elias only stumbled before rounding on her and slamming his hands down on the ground, inches from her left leg. She kicked his head with the other. He shook it off. Scrambling backwards he grabbed her right leg before she was out of reach. He punched her hard in the gut, winding her. He hurled her to the ground and stomped over to Shiori.

Ackerly's head spun in dizzy circles and pounded like a marching band. She coughed into the floor and craned her head up to looked at Elias. His hands were centimeters away from Shiori's neck. "Hey!" She called, pushing back onto her heels. He turned to face her. "We're not done." He rolled his eyes at her and grabbed Shiori by the shirt. He lifted her into the air. Ackerly groaned as she got to her feet, vision doubling. "Fight me!"

He dropped her to the floor, landing on her arm, and stormed over to Ackerly. She fired numerous blasts at him but all either missed, disintegrated or hit the second Elias. His thick hands wrapped around her neck and squeezed. She kicked and punched him as hard as she could but with every second her energy was zapped. She clawed at his face and hands in the hopes of forcing him off her. Shiori was unconscious and wouldn't be able to help, it was all her. She gasped for air but his grip grew tighter and tighter. Her vision blackened but she kept what sigh she had left on him.

He stopped and let her drop to the floor in a heap. There was a pause then he walked away, grumbling to himself. She succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

She recognised the familiar sound of the Quinjet. Had she been captured? Her eyes snapped open and she leaped to her feet only to fall back onto her backside from the head rush and pain shooting through her ankle. Orion quickly started barking and Shiori was hastily at her side. "Easy, doc. You took quite a pounding. Your ankle is pretty swollen."

Ackerly looked down at her right ankle; puffy, red, blue and black. It was a little breezy but the air would do good. Glancing up, she scanned the woman beside her, she cradled her left arm that was no doubt either broken or dislocated, and was visibly in pain form the injury. "So did you."

She shook her head, "No. I was just thrown like a doll. You were... well I don't really know what happened to you, but when I woke up you were unconscious and had to drag you back here."

"And where is here?"

"I'd say," she glanced over her shoulder at a console, "somewhere above Oregon."

Ackerly nodded and rubbed her forehead. Her hand drifted down her face to her neck where she winced at the slight pain. She was determined to have Elias pay for what he did. But why did he leave them alive. He had ample opportunity to to kill them both and didn't take it... He wasn't there to kill, so what was he doing there? Did they interrupt him doing something or was he told to injure them? She sighed and slowly got to her feet using the wall for support. "You can fly this thing after all?"

"Autopilot."

"Ah." Ackerly narrowed her eyes at Shiori. Having got a better look at her arm, it was clearly dislocated and needed to be fixed regardless of what Shiori would say. "Alright you, sit your arse down." She opened her mouth to protest but a stern look from the older woman shut her up and she sat down. Ackerly rubbed her chin, "This is dislocated, y'know."

"I do. Just get it over and done with."

"Oh, I will." She stretched out Shiori's left arm. "So how did you get back in here? Did Orion open the ramp?"

"Yeah, he did. I sh-" Ackerly placed her palm on Shiori's shoulder and pushed the joint back into place. She swore violently.

"Bloody hell, Shiori." The doctor said, making a makeshift sling for the younger woman.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Relocating a shoulder is a bitch, especially on yourself."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you've done that."

Ackerly stepped back from the hacker and admired her handiwork. "Not bad if I do say so myself."

"Thanks." Shiori stood up and rolled her shoulder. "Where do we go now?" Ackerly sighed exasperated and began to pace, running a hand through her hair. "The base was a trap and no way will it be safe to go back to the bunker. We're stuck, injured and in no state for a fight."

The doctor puffed out her cheeks and sat on the nearest chair. "We can't just sit around."

"I know."

Ackerly put her head in her hands. They were back to square one with no idea what to do or where to go. They needed someone or something to help them without contacting outside forces like Coulson's team or Steve and Sam.

"Doctor." Shiori stated.

"What?" She mumbled with a sigh. Shiori didn't answer. "For God's sake, what-?" Ackerly's head snapped up to look at her. In her hand, she held a small piece of paper, "are you holding?"

"I don't know. I found it in my jacket when I woke up." She handed the small letter over, "I think it's written in German, my German's not too great. Care to translate?" The doctor quickly read the writing on the paper, she didn't recognise the handwriting. "What does it say?"

"It's not German and it's Danish, _"Kære Gabriella Ackerly, når det er belejligt du komme til København for en længe ventet tale. Hvis ubelejligt, kommer alligevel. Vi har meget at diskutere, og jeg vil gerne få det overstået så hurtigt som muligt. Medbring ingen våben, og jeg vil gøre det samme. Forsøg ikke at bruge din magt under mødet. Elias har vist dig, hvad der vil ske, hvis du nægter at overholde. Du ved, hvor du kan finde os._ " She glanced up. "Which roughly translates to "Dear Gabriella Ackerly, when convenient please come to Copenhagen for a long-awaited talk. If inconvenient, come anyway. We have much to discuss and I'd like to get it over and done with as soon as possible. Bring no weapons and I'll do the same. Attempt not to use your power during the meeting. Elias has shown you what will happen should you refuse to comply. You know where to find us." Great(!)"

"A trap?" Shiori asked, though she had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"Most definitely." Ackerly replied with a nod.

"No weapons?"

"Do you think either side will 'comply'?"

"Good point. Then let's go."

The doctor rubbed her temples. "Keep us on Autopilot. My ankle needs a rest and so does your arm."

Shiori nodded and wandered back to the navigation console, "What should we expect?" She asked imputing Copenhagen's coordinates.

"The person who's behind this, Elias and no doubt many other HYDRA."

"Why did I even ask?" Shiori muttered to herself.


	11. Chapter 11

_"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we are calling off the search for your daughter."_

 _"What?! Please, you can't. She's still out there!"_

 _"You have to accept that she may be dead, it has been over two months."_

 _"If my baby girl was dead, I'd know it. She's out there. I know it. I can feel it. Please keep searching."_

 _"I'm sorry, ma'am. The decision has been made."_

 _"Officer, please!"_

 _"My condolences, Mrs. Hayes."_

 _"She's lost in the big world! Please."_

 _"Mummy?"_

 _"Gabriella! Sweetheart, go back to bed. Officer Harris, your father and I are talking."_

 _"Have they found Imi? Have they?!"_

 _"... No."_

 _"Michael!"_

 _"She has to know."_

 _"She's 10 years old."_

 _"That's old enough."_

 _"Is Imi lost?"_

 _"Yes, dear. Imogen hasn't been found."_

 _"Is she dead?"_

 _"No, no. Do you think she is?"_

 _"No, I'd know it if she was."_

Ackerly awoke with a start and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Why the hell was that coming back now? It's been years and wasn't at all relevant to their current situation. She had fallen asleep as they flew over Washington D.C, her head started pounding again and she thought a sleep would do her good. Shiori had dozed off not long before her- somewhere over Colorado- but thanks to the Quinjet's Autopilot they didn't need to keep an eye on their navigation, the jet had it covered. Ackerly stretched her aching limbs and rubbed her ankle. The swelling had gone down considerably so there should be no problem getting her boot on. As she reached for her boot she cast her eyes over to where she last saw Orion. He was still there opposite her, laying spread eagle on the floor, in a mass of fur. Ackerly pulled on her boot watching the dog snooze. She smiled to herself. It seemed like only yesterday he was a puppy, laying at the foot of her bed as she prepared for the morning run at the Academy. Ackerly glanced over to Shiori. She was still asleep with her head against the back of her chair, snoring very softly. They both haven't slept for hours and a few more moments, for a lie in, couldn't hurt.

Ackerly quietly stood up and wandered over to the navigation console. They where currently over the North Sea and would be landing in Copenhagen soon. She was ready if she had to fight- it would probably come to that. Whoever wrote the letter would be bringing backup and guns since she herself couldn't exactly stop having powers. She'd have to make sure Shiori hid a gun in her person as well. She wasn't going to be responsible for another death of a friend. But it wasn't going to come to that. They would deal with the HYDRA and leave it at that. Killing was not an necessity until it had to be.

Flying over Denmark, Ackerly decided to wake Shiori. She noisily walked towards the sleeping young woman and stopped just in front of her. "Wakey wakey, Cadet! This is no time to be sleeping!" Shiori bolted awake, eyes snapping open in seconds.

She looked horrified but relaxed noticing that she wasn't back at the Academy but in the Quinjet. "Ah, Gabriella!" Orion barked himself awake.

Ackerly laughed loudly, "Oh? Did I wake you?"

She grumbled in annoyance and rubbed her tried face. "So where are we?"

"The North Sea, we're landing soon."

"Okay."

Ackerly took a deep breath to calm down from the laughter and broke into wide grin, "God your face was priceless."

Shiori rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you find my suffering hilarious."

"Absolutely." She replied. Her face was now more serious, "But back to business," Shiori stood up from her chair, "we both know neither side will come unarmed. I want you to hide a gun on yourself some where just in case things get hairy. We'll just act as normal as we can and not arouse any suspicions."

"It's good to hear my thoughts echoed." Shiori replied.

Ackerly smiled and patted the other woman's shoulder. "Let's make ready for our landing. And Orion," she turned to the collie who pranced over to her, "you really need to stay in here. No leaving or opening the Quinjet, okay? Don't do anything until Shiori or I tell you to." Orion barked in understanding. Ackerly smiled and paused for a moment. She needed to do something. "Oh!" She said remembering. "You need food and water." Ackerly quickly wandered over to her bag and pulled out dog food, two bowls and bottled water, while Shiori sat at the helm. She put down the bowls, filled one with food and the other with water. "Don't eat and drink it all, boy. It needs to last." Orion nodded his head and drank a few mouthfuls of water before sitting and watching the two humans.

"Alright, doc, we've ten minutes before we land at where you said."

"Prepare yourself. We've got no clue what they're bringing but I bet one of them is Elias."

"Do you know of he has any weakness?"

Ackerly thought for a moment, "He literally has an Achilles heel. You kick his ankle as hard as you can and that'll wound him for a bit."

"That's not really a weakness." Shiori pointed out.

"I know but it's something... well it's the only thing I can think about. Shooting him with a few tranquilizers helps too."

"Shame we don't have any."

"Yeah."

Ten minutes later and they landed in a clearing in Copenhagen near a set of old buildings. Shiori hid a gun on her ankle holster and Ackerly had her abilities as her protection. The doctor glanced out the cockpit window to see the clearing empty. "Alright, we take this easy." Shiori nodded. Ackerly turned to her, she seemed anxious. The doctor forgot that she's more used to being in the lab than out in the field. "Listen, it's gonna be fine. Now, I don't know what might happen but whatever they throw at us, we'll be okay."

Shiori let out a lengthy, calming sigh. "Let's get this over and done with."

They left the Quinjet and as they did the HYDRA emerged from one of the old buildings. "God damn it." Ackerly mumbled. It was Doctor Erin Hook- her ex-physiotherapist- Elias Bauer, Kibwe, Anaïs, and a few others she didn't recognise. She puffed out her cheeks as they met in the middle. "Wow. A lot of people hate me."

"And there's more inside." Erin added. "People who hate you and S.H.I.E.L.D are below our feet."

"Well isn't that just wonderful."

Erin glanced at Shiori, "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"I know you, you know me." Shiori said. "So there's not much point."

"Where'd you find this one?" Anaïs asked, pointing to the younger woman. "Fresh out of the Academy, eh?" In reply, Shiori gave her a curt nod. "Rude."

Ackerly quickly spoke, "Why are we here?"

"To talk." Erin said.

"About?"

"You. What goes on inside your head."

Ackerly let out a soft laugh. "You know what goes on inside my head."

"Yes," Erin nodded, "but not all of it."

A pause followed. She could feel the presence of others behind her and to the side. "Well, this is most certainly an ambush." Another silence stretched out and the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents quickly glanced at each other. The second Shiori reached for her gun and Ackerly warmed up her palms, HYDRA had their weapons trained the on two.

"Of course you would've noticed." Erin muttered with a frustrated sigh, looking down the sight of her pistol.

Ackerly narrowed her eyes, "Where you with that group that attacked the Helicarrier for O.R.B.S?"

"No, I'm with you on that one. I have no idea who they are."

"Right(!)"

"Coming nicely?"

"In your dreams."

"Well then," Erin uttered, lowering her gun and looking at the people behind the doctor and Shiori, "knock 'em out." Before they had time to react, they were shot with tranquilizers and fell to the ground unconscious.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't worry there is a reason why it says "Mrs. Hayes" and not "Mrs. Ackerly", can you guess why? Until next time!  
**


	12. Chapter 12

"Ackerly! Doctor?! Are you alright in there? Gabriella, can you hear me? Gabriella?! Gabe?! Gabriella?! Doctor?!"

The darkness danced on her eye lids and noises faded into one. Her head was dizzy, spinning in circles, and slow on the intake. Her whole body ached. She wasn't in pain, she simply ached, as if she had been trying to keep up with Steve Rogers on his morning run to little success. What happened, she had no idea. A twang of pain shot through her head. Sluggishly her eyes opened, taking many moments to form a solid blurry image of her holding cell, her ears focused on Shiori yelling her name in the adjacent cell and the high pitched whining of the monitoring cameras.

"Say something! Gabriella?!"

She slowly began to move all the aching muscles in her body; her leg, her arms, her torso and her neck. A pained moaned escaped her throat and she blinked down at her body. For a moment she was horrified at the missing left leg then she quickly remembered that it's been missing for years, she let out a groan, which was supposed to be a laugh, at her reaction. Where was her prosthesis? She couldn't see it in the cell. Her thigh was wrapped in a clean white bandage as was her ankle. Left forearm, what felt like her chest and right upper arm hadn't escaped the sutures. What the hell did the surgeons to do her? The memory was none existent so she was completely in the dark but she knew something had happened.

"Come on, Gabe! Are you alright in there?! Say something!" Shiori shouted through the walls.

Her head continued to pound as the other woman shouted for her to respond. She attempted to replay but her dry mouth wasn't having it. At the end of the bed was a glass wall leading out into observation room where Erin and the others watched their two captives. She had half a mind to shoot them an obscene gesture but her head wasn't communicating with her limbs all too well, she could just about shift them a few centimetres from their current position but no more. Whatever they drugged her with was some serious stuff.

"Don't just stand there watching her! Do something!" Shiori was now shouting at their audience.

Her heart buzzed in her chest and her brain fought to wake her up. Something was happening. People outside were shouting about something unknown and Shiori had resorted to banging down the wall separating them. Her heart vibrated like a Humming Bird trapped against her rib cage. Ackerly felt the energy of the building surging through her veins. In an instant she jolted up right and was sparking blue from every extremity. Her eyes were purely blue judging from the reflecting in the glass before her. With every irregular heart beat the sparks turned to intense pulses striking the four sides of her cell with force. She couldn't hear the shouting from the HYDRA or her terrified friend in the other cell.

As quick as it had started, it stopped. Ackerly collapsed back on the bed and stared up unseeing at the ceiling.

"What the hell was that?! She heard someone shout.

"You're the scientist, you tell me!" The other replied.

"It's fascinating!"

"I don't care if it's fascinating, I need to know if we can replicate it." Erin now spoke eagerly. "If we can then S.H.I.E.L.D. won't know what's coming."

Life flooded into Ackerly's eyes. They were going to use her as a weapon, a bomb, to deal a fatal blow to S.H.I.E.L.D. Not if she could help it, that was _not_ going to happen. She was going to get both Shiori and her out even if it killed her- which it just might.

"Doctor Ackerly!? Gabriella! Come on, answer me!" Shiori shouted.

She felt better after the sudden surge of energy, her muscles no longer ached, her head didn't hurt and she could move her limbs freely. She pushed her sweaty hair out of her face and sat up, shifting to sit against the wall. She swallowed a few times before croaking out the next words, "I'm okay... I'm okay."

"Bloody hell, thank God!" Shiori said relieved. "What on Earth happened in there? People were loosing their minds out there."

"I..." She rubbed her face and let out a long sigh, "I don't know."

"Are you alright? Truthfully."

Physically, aside the stitches over her body she was fine. Mentally... she wasn't sure, she didn't know what they had done to her while she was out nor did she know what started the sparks. "Yes and no."

"Care to elaborate or not?"

"Or not."

"Alright."

Putting her head in her hands, she closed her eyes, remnants of blue flickering across her eyelids like nerve impulses in the brain. What did they do to her, _exactly_? They had tapped into a powerful part of her mind and it scared her. Perhaps it was the defense thing she did a few days ago or was it something new and more devastating, whatever it was, it was bad. She needed to get out, both her and Shiori, before either one was killed or she inadvertently exploded causing the base to crumble in on itself, thanks to HYDRA's experiments on her.

"Shiori?" Ackerly asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"What did they do to me?"

"Why don't you ask me that?" Erin's voice burst over the speakers causing Ackerly to retreat into the corner, clutching her ears. "Too loud for ya? Tough." She could hear the sick grin in her words. "Seeing as I'll be putting you through more of this, it's only right that you should know what's happening to you under the knife." She paused for a dramatic effect that made Ackerly's eye roll. "My scientists and I are trying to figure out what makes you tick."

"I haven't swallowed a damn clock." Ackerly muttered in reply.

Erin laughed harshly, making Ackerly reel in pain once again. "Nice joke. But, no, I want to know what goes on inside that brain of yours and the only way to know is by getting stuck in. We're dissecting you and extracting every sliver of information we can get out of you before you die or bleed out, whichever comes first. We're analysing it to see if S.H.I.E.L.D. missed anything the first time around."

"Is that it?" Ackerly questioned, glancing over to Erin in the observation lab from under her hands. "What did you say after my little show? 'I don't care if it's fascinating, I need to know if we can replicate it. If we can then S.H.I.E.L.D. won't know what's coming.' I'm not stupid. You mean to use me as a bomb to kill S.H.I.E.L.D. from the inside. You're trying to find where I get my power and how it can be linked to a timer or a big red button."

"You earn that Ph.D, doctor!" Erin said with another laugh. "You're good. I'm surprised it didn't take you longer to realise I was HYDRA."

"You're a good actor. I'd stab you with an Oscar."

"Very funny." Erin uttered, the least bit impressed. There was silence on the other side as she spoke to someone then she returned to the speakers. "I'll give you an hour then you're in surgery."

"I look forward to it." Ackerly grumbled.

"Bye, _Gabe_."

"You have no right to call me that. We're no longer friends."

"Isn't Gabe a guys name? Why not Gabi?"

"I don't like Gabi, I prefer Gabe."

"Oh, alright... Gabe."

Ackerly growled and the speakers clicked off. That was it! She couldn't stay here any longer, she needed to get out. That thing in the ceiling would hinder her progress if it decided to open up and knock her out, but everything had a way of being disconnected and that must too.

"Hey! No, get off me!" yelled Shiori from her cell.

Ackerly hit the partition wall. "Let her go!" She slid off the bed and face palmed the floor, having forgotten about the lack of prosthesis. She shook it off, crawled to her foot and hopped over to the door. "Let her go!" She pounded on the door, attempting to peer through the window. "D'you here me! Let her go! I swear to God let her go!" Shiori continued protesting about being grabbed but stopped abruptly. "Shiori? Shiori?! God damn it... Shiori!" She had been taken. Ackerly punched the door, grunted and flopped back on the bed. "Damn it!" She sighed.

"...Loki's Sceptre..." caught her attention. Erin had said it, what else was she taking about. She turned her head to try and read her lips. "The Twins are the only survivors but perhaps we can add her to it." She didn't know who 'the Twins' were but if they were the only survivors of something then Shiori was in danger. Bolting upright, she kicked the wall with her foot in anger. She needed to get out. _Now_. But how?

Ackerly glanced around at the neat surroundings. They had her prosthesis hidden away somewhere so the escape would end up being on one leg unless she could find it on her way out. She'd have to locate Orion too, she wasn't going to leave him here. The door to her cell was opened from the outside, she could short circuit it but that would risk being knocked out by the thing in the ceiling. She has to get rid of that before she thought about opening the door. She would have to do everything swiftly and within seconds of each other. She couldn't let HYDRA get the advantage.

Should she wait until Shiori returned or now? She didn't know how long she would he gone or if she was coming back, she also didn't want to wait until after her next surgery- no, it was an experiment and it was an experiment on her. This was no surgery.

Ackerly looked at the ceiling to the knockout pulse generator. It opened. "What the fu-"

"Change of plan I'm afraid, doctor. We can't wait." Erin's voice said. Her eyelids dropped and she fell back on the bed, unconscious.


	13. Chapter 13

This time round, Ackerly woke up faster but in acute pain. Her head throbbed and her heart palpitated against her ribcage. Pins and needles tingled in her fingers and toes and her vision failed to stay as one picture. Blinking around the cell, she let out a pained groan as she sat up slowly, her heart thumping even harder. To hell with the pain she was in and the tiredness, she needed to get out. She cleared her dry throat. "Shiori?" She asked. "You alright?"

She heard a meek "No," in response to her question.

That was it! They were getting out now, regardless the pain they were both in. She shook away the throbbing in her skull and the need to sleep, and edged towards the edge of the bed. As she did so the door to her cell opened, it was Erin again. "Hi there, _Emit_."

"Don't call me that."

Erik sighed and continued regardless, "It's nice to see you back in the land of the living."

"What?" She asked hoarsely.

"You've been out for quite a few days, poor Shiori was all lonely."

"This this true?!" She shouted, directing the question more to the exhausted woman in the cell beside her.

"Yes." Shiori replied, voice not hiding how much pain she was in.

"Anyway," Erin continued, "as much as I would love to stay and chat about our findings, I have a base to run."

"Why on Earth did you come in here in the first place?"

"Just to say hi and to make sure my face is the only one you see." Erin answered with a sickly cheery grin. "See you in about... five hours." And with that she left, locking the cell before her.

"I've really been out for a couple days?"

"Yes. Three." The hacker replied.

She raked a hand down her sleepy face with a remorseful sigh. "What did they do to you?"

"I dunno. I hurt."

"Yeah, but I'll get us out, Shiori, you have my word I'll get us out." She heard a laugh coming from the observation laboratory and rolled her eyes.

God damn it how was she going to get out? The only time they let either of them out was for the experiments and her next one was in five hours. Sleep. If she did wake up under the knife then she'd have to hope that whoever was operating on her was friendly or scared enough to do as she says. Waking up would have to be involuntary because punching past the anaesthetic willingly was going to be hard and probably wasn't the best idea in general. She needed a better idea. Sleep. If she did think of a decent plan to escape, then she would have to find a way to stop the pulse in the ceiling from opening and knocking her out. Perhaps she could short circuit it if the time came but she'd have to be quick if she did. Time was of the essence.

Pain flared in her skull and she sat back into the wall. She held her head and took deep breaths to reduce the pain. Damn it, it felt like they were getting closer to finding whatever it was they where looking for but they weren't going to get it, not on her watch. Exhaustion swept over her body, she could barely keep her eyes open let alone fight the urge to sleep and the pain in her brain. She needed to sleep but she had to stay awake. But sleep... sleep, it was mostly peaceful and recharged her batteries... Sleep helps with a lot of things... Sleep was sounding really- No! _Stay awake._ God knows what they'll do if she slept... Sleep... Sleep.

Unable to keep herself awake any longer, she fell against her pillow and drifted into a much needed rest.

* * *

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

The distorted sounds of several monitors beeping became separate noises in the room she was held in. Feeling a sharp pain pierce her chest, her eyes snapped open to find herself staring up at a grey ceiling, not her cell, on a rigid bed. People in surgical masks loomed over her. "Dear God, she's awake!" yelled one of the male nurses.

"That's- holy cow, she is! Put her under! Put her under!" demanded a female surgeon.

Ackerly's hand clamped over the wrist of the closest arm with no intention of letting go; there was an IV in her arm. "Get her off!" the first voice shouted.

"Why is she awake?!" questioned a nurse.

"I didn't sign up for this! I'm getting out of here!" exclaimed a male doctor, hurrying out the operating theatre.

Those that remained, the male nurse, the female surgeon and a female nurse, now tried to pry her hand off the male nurse's wrist while she choked on the endotracheal tube in her throat. The female nurse went to remove it but the male nurse yelled, "Don't be stupid! If you do that she'll kill us!"

"Hook wants her alive. To her, we're expendable." The female nurse replied.

"Fine," the surgeon sighed, "take it out." She then looked down at Ackerly, "let go of Max." The doctor on the table gave her a look that wanted her to add one more word to her plea. "Please."

She released her grip on Max's arm and he quickly jerked it back to his side. She coughed more as the tube was extracted from her throat. "Let me go." She croaked after swallowing a few times. "I won't kill you." The medical staff looked at each other, concern, terror, and skepticism on their faces. "Please... I just want to get out of here with my life." The doctor coughed once more. "Surely you have everything you need."

The surgeon and nurses exchanged hesitant nods. Max looked down at Ackerly, "Promise?"

"I promise."

"I can't believe I'm saying that but..." the surgeon sighed "alright, but I'm patching you up first. I'll think of excuse for Hook later."

"Thank you... and, um, Morphine would be brilliant about now." She added, glancing around at them.

Max quickly obliged and the sweet relief of Morphine flooded through her body ridding her of the aches and pains. As the surgeon, Joan O'Clery, cleaned and sutured her incisions, the nurse, Layla Rollins, took her off the various life monitoring equipment. Max Derrick went out to check that HYDRA weren't gunning for them. "Doctor Ackerly," Layla said as she removed the ECG, still terrified of the not-supposed-to-be-conscious woman on the operating table, "we're all just doing our job. We-we don't mean any harm."

"I know. I can't blame you for that, you're following orders, even if you are HYDRA." The medical staff all shared nervous laughter and finally the last stitch was in place. "What did you guys do to Shiori anyway?"

"You mean you don't know?" Joan asked. Ackerly shook her head. "Well-"

"Guards are coming! Thomas probably told them about you being up." Max said rushing back into the theatre with something very helpful in his hand that he didn't have when he left.

With the help of Layla and Joan, Ackerly was helped off the bed and her prosthesis put on thanks to Max finding it on his reconnaissance to check for HYDRA advancing in on them. "Thanks for your hospitality, but I've gotta go." She wobbled but quickly regained her balance. "Will you be alright?"

"We'll be fine. Go."

"Are you sure I can't take you with me."

"Someone needs to give her an excuse. Go!" Joan urged her, pushing her towards the other entrance. "You can find your belongings in the observation lab and your dog in Hook's office. Your friend should still her in her cell. Good luck."

"Thank you, once again." Ackerly gave them a smile and sprinted out of the theatre the best she could as HYDRA burst through the theatre's main doors. She had to get her stuff, Orion and break Shiori out of jail. The Morphine would last a little while yet.

"You let her escape?!" exclaimed one of the HYDRA agents.

Putting on a fake hurt tone of voice, she told him, "She knocked us out. You know what she's like. She woke up and the next thing I know Thomas is screaming, running out of the room and we're out of it and when we come to Ackerly's gone."

"Hook will speak with you three later." said a second voice. "Fan out! Find her! But tranqs only, Hook wants her alive."

At least they didn't get shot and hopefully Erin wouldn't find out the truth. Her office was the closest and she wasn't going anywhere without their stuff. They might need it. Then she'd go after Orion and finally Shiori, she didn't want to go after her last, but it had to be done.


	14. Chapter 14

Ackerly sneaked past the armed HYDRA agents to get to Erin's office as fast and as quietly as she could. Shouting for them to find her filled the air as the sounds of heavy booted feet signalled the increasing number of agents after her. Peering around a corner to check for HYDRA, her heart pounded against her chest, the Scientists and the Engineers hurried about the place locking away anything they thought she would steal; new technology, formulae and the results of her and Shiori's various experiments. She didn't care about that, she only wanted to get out and get out alive. _They never make it easy to escape a HYDRA base do they?_ But their aim, it's like a bad movie were they can easily hit you but have the inability to. Well trained killers can't aim, it made her laugh. She took a deep breath and be-lined for the small corridor to Erin's office.

Luckily no one spotted her and she dashed down the corridor to the office and when she tried the door handle, it was unlocked so she darted in. Orion bounded to her side, tied to the desk by a collar and chain. "Hey, boy!" She whispered happily. "I need you to stay schtum otherwise we'll get spotted." She unhooked the collar from the dog's neck and planted a kiss in his forehead. "Did they treat you good?" He nodded. "Excellent." Rising to her feet she said, "Alright, you old dog," he gave her a look, "Orion you're nearly 15. Anyway, I would say stay close but I don't want you to get shoot so find Shiori's cell and stay hidden." HYDRA ran past the door, she ducked behind the desk and peeked over the top once she was sure they passed. All clear. She slowly rose from her crouched position and made her way to the door. Opening it slowly, she stuck her head out and scanned the area for any hidden HYDRA. It was indeed clear and she set off to find their stuff, pointing Orion in the direction of the cells.

Ackerly darted in and out of corridors and adjacent rooms on her way to the observation laboratory. She skidded to a halt as six gunmen blocked her path. "Are we going to do this-?" One fired and she rolled into the cover beside her that was an open door. "Hard way it is." She mumbled. Peeking into the corridor and looking down at the gunmen, she opened fire with fatal, sparky blue balls bursting from her palms and one-shotting the six of them. As the last dropped to the floor she hauled ass from her cover and continued to the lab.

She definitely expected a whole host of reinforcements waiting for her in the lab, but upon entering she found that no one was waiting for her. She cautiously moved into the lab and whilst searching for her weapons, she kept an alert eye in her surroundings just in case this was an ambush. Having found her weapons, well Shiori's, her eyes landed on the two side by side cells in front of her. One was hers but the other housed a curled up lump on the bed. Blasting the glass would be easy but she wasn't going to risk the shards of glass landing on Shiori and causing more harm than good. Guns holstered, she exited though the door that lead to where she could open Shiori's cell. Ackerly hit the ground. She craned her up at the armed men and women in front of her preventing her getting to Shiori. She half expected Kibwe or Anaïs to be standing there but it was just HYDRA she didn't know. "I don't suppose you could let me pass?"

Her plea fell on deaf eyes and she rolled behind a scientist's desk as they fired on her. She let out a long-suffering sigh and shielded her head from the shattering of glass flasks. Sedating her was out of the question, they shot to kill but killing her was something they weren't going to do. She had to get passed them and reach Shiori before they used her as a negotiation technique. The firing stopped and she cautiously poked her head around the corner, what she found was the HYDRA still standing there but watching her intently. She gave them an unsure smile, what were they waiting for? Then their faces dropped and they froze on the spot. She raised an eyebrow at them, checked the area behind and around her before returning to look at the terrified agents. She stared at them and they stared back. What was it? No one way behind her nor was she... Ackerly caught a glimpse of herself reflecting off of a piece of shattered glass, her eyes and veins glowed a brilliant blue. The veins in her arms, and probably the rest of herself, were glowing also. A ghost of a smile formed on her lips, she could use this to her advantage. She slowly stood, the agents' eyes following her as she did. They took a step back so she took one step forward.

"Doctor," one said warily, "you're-you're-"

"Glowing? I know."

"No... no." stuttered another. "You look like you're about to-"

"Gah!" She buckled over in pain, clutching her humming heart. The armed agents high tailed it out of there. She collapsed to the floor, landing on her hands and knees, she stared down at her glowing limbs. "What have they done?" She asked no one. A burning sensation spread over her body from her chest causing her to tense. _No_ , she scolded, _not now! I need to save this, damn it, for when I need it and I don't need it now._ She took long, deep breaths to stem the increasing burn. _I have to save it!_ A few moments passed but the burning and the glowing had barely faded. _That's it... but it's not enough... No, it's alright. I-I can hold it._ To hell with that, this was the opportunity to get Shiori and her out. Inhaling considerably, she defiantly stood to her feet and marched over to the younger woman's cell, shaking out the glow and pain. Orion dashed out from his hiding spot and nudged her leg comfortingly. She quickly smiled down at him before putting her palm on the door panel and short-circuiting it. It whooshed open and they hurried in.


	15. Chapter 15

Shiori lay on the bed in the fetal position. Orion licked her arm. "Shiori," Ackerly cooed, "Shiori, are you alive? Unconscious? Shiori?" The younger woman stirred with fatigued moan. "That's it. It's just me and Orion. You're gonna be okay, I promise. I need you to wake up now. I can't carry you and nor can Orion. C'mon, Shiori." As the Japanese woman stirred more, she stroked her arm, also noticing that the glowing had subsided on her hands, to assure her she was who she said she was. God knows what they did to her. "I hate to be 'that guy' but you need to hurry up, we don't have time for lollygagging. They're gonna be back anytime soon and I need you on your feet."

Orion grumbled softly and licked her face. "Orion..." Shiori mumbled softly, "Orion..." She attempted to swat him away but her hand landed on his back.

"If I could give some energy, I would, but I can't so please hurry your arse up."

"I'm... getting there." Shiori murmured. She put her hands under her and sluggishly pushed herself up. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and shuffled forward.

"I don't have any shoes," she glanced at Orion, "see if you can find some." He gave a nod of his head and darted out of the cell. "While he's doing that I need you on your feet."

"What happened to you?" Shiori asked as Ackerly put an arm under her arm pits.

"They wanted to know what really happened when O.R.B.S absorbed me." On a third head nod, she lifted Shiori to her feet. "They were taking tissue samples, blood samples and bone samples to get to the bottom of it. They've also... they tried to turn me into a bomb."

"Excuse me?!" The younger woman gave her an incredulous look.

"Yep," the doctor nodded, "a bomb they could use on what's left of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Bloody hell. So that thing earlier was...?" They slowly began to limp out of the cell and towards the Observation lab.

"Was something bad. It almost happened not long ago."

"Oh my God, are you alright?!"

"I will be." At least she thought so. If she kept going on like she was and not expelling the power that was building up inside her, she'd go nuclear. All of her organs buzzed and she could feel her fingers tingling. Orion trotted back with a pair of shoes dangling from his mouth. "Oh, well, look at that." She set Shiori down in a chair. "They're your shoes." Orion handed over the shoes. He started barking.

"HYDRA." The two women quickly said.

"Put them on fast. I've got HYDRA." Ackerly turned around and awaited the onslaught of flying bullets.

"Where's the way out?"

"Where they're coming from."

"Of course..."

Ackerly's eyes scanned the various entrances to the Observation laboratory. There were two doors, one to her 10 o'clock and the other to her three o'clock. They both lead to the outside but the one to her left would take them there quicker. HYDRA where coming from both of them. She had to free both paths before they even thought about getting out.

She felt the gun on her hip be taken and Shiori say, "Do we make a break for it for what?"

"We go for it and fight to get out. We take the left door and run."

"Got it." Shiori moved to stand beside her and Ackerly cast a glance over to her.

"Can you fight?"

"No... but I'll have a good go."

"The moment your shot or hurt, tell me."

"I've got it, doc."

Then they dashed for the door on the left. Ackerly grabbed the handle and yanked it open. They hit the wall either side of the open door as bullets fired at them. Among the chaos, she recognised the voice of Kibwe with them and Anaïs' voice drifting from the other door. How on Earth were they going to protect themselves on both sides? She could do it but she didn't have eyes in the back of her head. The other door burst open and the pair had no choice but to take cover behind a cabinet. Ackerly fired at both sides while Shiori focused on the left.

"Can't you create a force-field or something?" Shiori asked, reloading her gun.

"I would if I could but I can't so we're stuffed." Ackerly said, firing at the HYDRA filling out of both of the doors.

"I hate to say it doc but could you, you know... go sparky?" Ackerly's head turned to her as she fired, with a shocked look on her face. "I know you don't like it but we need to get out. Could you just increase the radius of your blasts at least?"

She could but... to hell with it, she was going to do it and worry about the consequences later. She glanced at Shiori and stood up, firing large blue blasts at the HYDRA, not missing a single person. She would be able to keep it up for a while but not for long. The burning had dwindled slightly but it was still there with every fire. Shiori stood behind her. Ackerly moved forward, firing at the HYDRA. The ones that backed away she ignored but those who kept firing at them, died.

They slowly broke through the troop of HYDRA in their way. Power bloomed from Ackerly's hands before being shot into the enemy, creating a path for them to walk through. Inevitably, Shiori ran out of ammo for her gun just as Anaïs' group closed the gap behind them, and Kibwe had joined with her team after diving aside from a particularly large blast that killed four. Now she had to protect all their flanks by herself but alas couldn't keep with the demand for the bigger emissions. Her head was light and her vision slowly faded in and out of focus. She couldn't give in just yet, she'd keep going until she collapsed dead on the floor. To combat her light-headedness, she returned her blasts to their normal radius as they broke free of the relentless firing. They still had a long corridor, a flight of stairs, and a large, derelict computer hub ahead of them. They would barely make it, but they would make it nonetheless. Orion was tight on his owner's heels and had avoided being shot; they may be HYDRA but they wouldn't go around shooting dogs regardless who their owner was, well she hasn't encountered anyone who wanted him dead and she wanted it to stay that way.

Ackerly's head whipped back and forth to watch the front and back of their party. If she lingered on either side for too long she wouldn't be able to keep them moving, and they would be swarmed. Her responsibility was to get her, Shiori and Orion out of the base without being harmed. That was easier said than done. Deflecting bullets was a hard task to master and she was still unable to create a force-field to protect them. Shiori ducked as Ackerly shot out pulses from her palms. All around the doctor's hands and wrists sparked a vivid blue as she was generating more power than she could expel. The heart palpitations had returned but lightly; they didn't threaten to burst her chest wide open like they had done in the past.


	16. Chapter 16

After what felt like a lifetime, they reached the end of the long corridor. Ackerly had fired at every door that opened and the HYDRA that filled out of them. The body count was through the atmosphere at this point but it wasn't going to stop anytime soon, they still had a flight of stairs and an empty floor ahead of them and she was exhausted. Even during the Battle of New York she paced her firing so she didn't wear herself out. This, this was simply frantic and unplanned blasting in all directions in the hopes of killing someone, and it was wearing her down. Her breaths were rapid and shallow and her heart rate hadn't rested for what felt like a few hours. Sweat beaded down her forehead and temples. She would be able to keep this up for another hour at the most unless some miracle gave her the strength to continue on. At this moment, she would gladly give up her right leg for Steve or Bruce to smash through and help her out, but that was far from going to happen. She had no idea where Bruce was or where Steve, Natasha, Maria and, what was his name? Oh yeah, Sam Wilson, were either. Shiori, Orion and her were on their own.

Pushing herself harder, they made it to the bottom of the staircase with a whole horde of HYDRA behind them. Most were reloading their weapons and the others fired without restraint on the escaping prisoners. Suddenly, through the noise, she caught Erin yelling at who she assumed was Kibwe and Anaïs, "You two and you there, come with me! I have a plan!"

Whatever that plan was, it didn't bode well for the three of them. It no doubt had something to do with them and putting an end to their escape, so it was most likely an ambush at the top of the stairs. But they came this far and they weren't turning back now. Taking a second to wipe her brow, she fired a dense energy blast into the HYDRA. "Go, go, go!" Ackerly yelled, and she, Shiori and Orion sprinted up the flight of stairs, taking at least two steps at a time.

The reached the final floor and slammed the door shut behind them. Ackerly leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths. "Doc, when we get out of here, the drinks are on me." Shiori panted, slowly regaining a normal breathing pattern. "This must be exhausting."

Ackerly nodded and ran a hand through her hair. They where so close to the end. Scanning the floor ahead of them, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Maybe Erin and the others where waiting up top. Hopefully. "Alright," she breathed, still extremely exhausted, "we've got to keep moving. Come on." She lead the way through the floor.

Orion barked.

"Oh, doctor!" called Erin in a sing-song voice, behind her.

Ackerly's head and body whipped around to face her. She held Shiori by the hair with a gun to her head. Rage flared through her body. "Let her go." She growled. _Damn, where the hell where they hiding?_

"No."

Strong arms wrapped around hers, locking her in place, unable to move. She struggled and writhed as hard as she could but nothing came of it. "Elias!" She yelled angrily, landing a hard kick on his leg. Kibwe and Anaïs emerged from the various adjacent rooms with armed HYDRA behind them. "Oh for God's sake." She sighed.

Shiori struggled under Erin's restraint. Orion was being held by Kibwe by his collar. "Look, Gabriella, it's simple, come back to us and we won't kill you or her." She jerked Shiori's head so the helpless woman looked Ackerly in the eyes. "Comply and you will be rewarded."

Pins and needles vibrated down her arms to her hands, and all over the rest of her body. Her heart pumped faster. Her fists clenched at her sides. The air temperature around them increased dramatically. She could feel and see her body sparking intense blue. The exhaustion from earlier was gone in an instant, but she couldn't stop the building up of power inside her. Both Erin and Shiori glanced at each other with the same alarmed and terrified expressions. "Doc..." Shiori said carefully, "don't-don't do it."

Erin pulled her back roughly and shook her gun in in Ackerly's direction, demanding, "Shot her, damn it! Kill her! Kill her!" Elias let Ackerly drop from his hold, she landed on all fours with a thump, and they fired frantically, trying to put her down. Orion took off into a nearby room but Erin still held Shiori tightly.

She stared down at her hands, light swirled around them and sparks flew. Her veins illuminated and her power crackled all over her body. Bullets failed to graze her skin, ricocheting off and falling to the floor, and more desperate bullets were fired at her. Over the noise she could hear Shiori yelling at her to stop and stop now! But she _couldn't_. Everything she had withheld over the days had built beneath the surface and was ready to be unlocked and unleashed on them. Even the intense firefight since the breakout didn't seem to stem the power flooding through her. There was no going back now.

Large hands held her head. She flung out her arms and Elias was propelled into the solid wall behind him, killing him on impact. Slowly, she rose to her feet and guns clicked empty; the attempt to kill her failing. "Gabriella! Stop!" Shiori yelled, voice drenched in fear. She couldn't respond to her words. Then, the young woman's eyebrows raised and her eyes widened, horror coming over them. Erin was the same, frozen on the spot, and she let go of the woman she held.

Mixing with the cyan sparks jumping off her body, were deeper shades of blues; the power inside increasing. Her veins were now flooded and glowed with the colours and the people surrounding her retreated back. The pins and needles became unbearable and her hummingbird heart returned. The dam was breaking. "Gabriella," Shiori said, voice cracking, "listen to me. You can stop this, you've done it before, you don't have to do this." Ackerly looked at her. "Take deep breaths and keep your eyes on me." She cocked her head at the woman.

"You think you can reason _with_ _that_?! Look at it! It's _not_ her anymore!" Erin shouted.

"This is _your_ fault!" Shiori snapped. "If you hadn't cut into her like a piece of meat, she wouldn't be like _that_!"

A gun with ammunition left fired but with the wave of a hand, it killed the person behind the trigger.

"It's for everyone's own good! If we know what's going in inside her then we can combat it!"

"We? No, HYDRA, _you_ , want to use to kill her because she's a threat!" She focused her attention back to the doctor. "C'mon, Gabriella, stop."

The blues flared off her, crackling into the air around them. The dam broke.

"Run!" Erin screamed into the air.

Helpless to hold it back, she erupted.

"Gabriella! You can figh-!"

* * *

The area fell silent. The sounds of hurrying footsteps and fearful yelling were lost to the sparks on the air in the darkness. Everything was normal; the temperature lowered to its cooler status, her eyes returned to their normal colouring and her body no longer sparked and buzzed. Something warm and wet licked her face. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself laying on the ground with Orion the source of the licking and a concerned whine. How on Earth she ended up on the floor, she had no idea. Forcing a smile at Orion, she noticed blood on his chin, her hands went immediately to the dog's head and body to check he wasn't harmed. He wasn't so... where the blood coming from? She brought a hand to her nose to discover it bleeding, it came from her. But... that aside, she felt fine, like an immense weight had been lifted off her mind and body and expelled else where. Her head and heart hurt a little but that would pass. Rubbing her face with her sleeves, she groaned tiredly. "Ugh, what happened? Where's Shiori?"

Orion grumbled and whined sadly.

"What?" She asked slowly. Siting up, her head spun in dizzy circles so she took a moment to steady her head. Once it had settled, she looked around the soulless floor and feeling of guilt rushed through her. She glanced over to her dog, his head and ears low. Did... did she... did she kill Shiori? Was that what he was getting at? "No. No. No, Orion. No, I didn't." She muttered disbelievingly. She looked forward and stared into the emptiness. "No, I-I..." Her mouth parted slightly and her eyes teared. "No! I didn't! I couldn't have! I..." she held her head in her hands. Shiori wouldn't have had the time to run and hide. If Erin and the others were dead, she was too. She couldn't have gone out like that. No, it was impossible. Shiori was much better than to be killed by her... "Oh God, I did..." her bottom lip quivered, "I did! I did kill her!"

Orion nudged her hands and whined, shouting reaching his sensitive ears.

Her head snapped up and she wiped her wet cheeks. "You're right... we gotta go. Can't stay here."

In one tired motion, she stood up and hurried towards the exit, lurching as she did and not looking behind her shoulders once. The HYDRA long dead, floating as atoms in the air... Shiori among them. The shouting of the many other agents reached her ears and she picked up her speed the best she could. Orion followed at her heels as they made their way back topside to one of Quinjets.

Once above ground, she and Orion entered the jet they came in, thankfully it wasn't cloaked, and staggered over to the cockpit. She punched in the startup sequence before plotting a course to one of her secret safe houses in the Russian Wilderness, and flopped against the wall when it was done. Sliding down the hull and landing with a soft thud, she drew her knees in close and sobbed. Shiori was her trainee. Her responsibility. Her friend. She made a promise to her and she broke it. She got another friend killed. _Another_. She had so much life left in her and that was taken away because of her _stupid_ powers! She failed. Failed. Everyone she remotely cared for wound up injured or dead. She was a walking time bomb for people she loved. Distancing herself from everyone was always a great idea but she could never cope with the loneliness associated with it, that would be her downfall, but sometimes isolation was what she needed. She fought to keep her loved ones safe but sometimes that was simply impossible and she hated herself for it. None should have to die because of _her_. Her job was to _protect_ and she couldn't even do that.


	17. Chapter 17

An unknown amount of time later, she felt the Quinjet land at the coordinates she inputted and Orion licking her face. She had cried herself to sleep, she was that fatigued. Drawing in a deep breath, she pushed herself to her feet and rubbed her hands down her tear-stained face. She looked down at Orion, patted his head, sighed and pressed the button to lower the ramp. As the ramp opened, the cold, fresh air blew against her warm skin and it relaxed her body for the first time in days. She continued to take deep breaths as she walked down the ramp and across the short path towards the snow covered safe house. Pressing her hand on the panel beside the front door, it scanned her DNA before unlocking, and opening. The lights automatically flicked on, filling her with a sense of safety. This was her sanctuary. It was far from anyone who wanted to harm her, was completely off the grid- only four people in the world knew about this place and they were all still S.H.I.E.L.D; Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Phil Coulson and Teagan Meyer. Not even Natasha or Clint knew about this place, and she was glad they didn't. The less they knew, the more safe she was. Another plus side to being this remote was that there weren't people for miles around; this was nowhere near any hiking paths or other buildings. It was completely isolated.

A ghost of a smile came across her lips and she stepped into the house, shutting the jet ramp and cloaking it as she did so. Orion bound immediately to the bedroom, while she closed the door and locked it before perching against the side of a couch to take off her shoe. Then she followed him into the bedroom, stripping off her clothes and heading straight to the ensuite bathroom. Running a hot bath, she sat on the side of the tub while waiting for the warm water to fill it. She took off her prosthesis, untied her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders, and tossed the hair tie aside. She smelled of sweat, blood and dirt, and was heavy with overwhelming guilt. She put her head in her hands and sighed. She was the one to kill Shiori and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Fighting it only made it worse. Could she have stopped it though? What if there was a way to stop it but she was to stupid to figure it out? What if there was no way to stop it? What if, whenever it happened, it would happened and disintegrated everything Human within a radius? What if there was no force on Earth that could stop her if she went nuclear? She let herself be captured and HYDRA turn her into a mess of energy that at any moment could resurface and explode with only a few symptoms to notice; increased air temperature, sparking, glowing veins, and a buzzy head and heart.

Racking a hand through her hair, she turned off the bath taps and slipped into the warm water, having taken off her underwear. The instant she hit the bubbles, her entire body relaxed; the tension all over her loosening for the first time in weeks. Getting comfortable, she closed her eyes and let her troubles melt away, save the constant nagging saying it was her fault Shiori was dead. But was it really? Yes? No? HYDRA were the ones to experiment on her and turn her into... into this. They made her unstable. They made her unable to control her powers when she's been perfectly able to do so in the past. They made the dam break and prevented it from fully healing. It was their fault but it was her who killed Shiori. They had succeeded in turning her into a bomb and she no idea how long she would last until she erupted, killing her and everyone else along with her.

If they hadn't gotten captured, would the outcome still be the same? Her as this? Would she have got to this state on her own eventually or did HYDRA accelerate it? She would never know and that angered her. What ifs and what could have beens, were so irritating. As a scientist, she should know every outcome and not be left in the dark like she was now.

The Sceptre! She jolted upright in the bath, sending water onto the unsuspecting Border Collie laying on the floor beside her. She had completely forgotten about it! HYDRA had the Sceptre but where, she had no idea. She had to tell Nick or Phil or someone loyal before she forgot... how to find it though... how to find it... She slowly shook her head, she didn't need more thoughts buzzing about her mind, she needed a break no matter how important this was. She couldn't work to the best of her ability if her head wasn't clear and sane. So, she made a mental note to try and contact Nick or Maria and returned to scrubbing blood and muck off her body.

She stayed in the bath until the water grew cold. Once that time had come, she lifted herself out and onto the side of the bath before wrapping up her dripping hair in a towel. After a body-wide stretch to crack her bones, she told Orion, "Grab my leg. I'll put it on later, it needs a break." She unsteadily got to her foot, quickly wrapped a towel around her body before hopping back into the bedroom and flopping down on the large bed. Orion laid the prosthesis on a chair before joining his owner. She stared up at the ceiling and absent-mindedly pet Orion; her mind letting loose all her thoughts again. One of these days she'll have a head that wasn't constantly bouncing from one scenario to another.

After several minutes sitting in her bath towel, she decided to get dressed. She pulled on clean underwear, black trousers, a white shirt, and a multicoloured sock. She parted and dried her hair before cleaning up the clothes she discarded in her rush to get to the bathroom. Ackerly settled down in the living room with a cup of tea, Orion on her leg and a laptop in her lap. She had been out of the loop with S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA for a few weeks at leasr, and she needed to catch on everything, so that's what she did for the next few hours; delving into S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA databases and news sites.

* * *

A few hours later and she had learned everything she missed, but she was still having trouble trying to locate Nick Fury. After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., he went to Europe and his trail she found went cold. Fury was always good at hiding his activities and she couldn't blame him. People thought he was dead but that wouldn't stay that way for long. Just look that Phil, he was dead but now he's not. How, she had no idea and when she next sees him, he'd tell her. She didn't bring it up the last time they met because they were busy with more important things but now she wished she had. Does he even know how he's alive? Probably not but she would ask him.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock._


	18. Chapter 18

_Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock._

She froze in place. Who on Earth would knock on her door? She was literally in the middle of nowhere. There were no trees around for at least a mile, so who was it? Snapping out of her thoughts, she speedily opened her laptop to check the external CCTV. Dark clothes, sunglasses. Wait, that was- "I know you've been trying to find me so I thought I'd save you the trouble." _Nick?!_ "It's damn cold out here. Let me in."

She closed her laptop and put it on the coffee table. Using the couch as an aid, she got to her foot and hopped over to the door. She unlocked it, opened and stared at Nick Fury on her doorstep. "What the fu-"

He cut her off saying, "You can tell me where the hell you have been." He looked her up and down. "You gonna let me in?"

"Um-I-uh, yes. Come in." She continued to stare as he walked into the house and ruffled Orion on the head. She closed the door. "What are you doing here?"

"You worried me. Since Rogers and Hill went to deal with HYDRA, you've been the definition of 'off the grid' lately. What the hell happened?" He looked at an armchair before deciding to sit on it. Ackerly swallowed and hopped back to her spot on her couch. "You look absolutely shattered."

"It's a long story."

"I've got time."

She sighed again and told Fury everything that had happened since leaving the safe house. As she talked about her defence mechanism and HYDRA's experiments on her, Fury's eyes widened in shock, something she hasn't seen for years. Then when she told him about Shiori, he face grew soft and drew in a breath, taking everything in.

"Damn." He said once she had finished.

"I hate to say... it worked though. They turned me into a bomb. At this every moment, I can feel it buzzing and building up inside me. My heart turns into a damned hummingbird."

He sat back in his chair and rubbed his face, speechless. After a long moment, he said, "And you couldn't... stop it?"

"No. I tried. I really did try. But I couldn't stop it. I tried, I _really_ tried. I tried." She put her head in her hands. Feeling her heart race, she sighed to calm down. "Once it had started, I couldn't stop it. Someone flicked the on switch and taped it on permanently. I _tried_ so damn _hard_ but I couldn't _stop_. I tried so _hard_..." Orion nudged her right leg after a spark jumped off her hand. "I _tried_ so hard but because I failed Shiori is dead and there was nothing I could do to stop it. She's dead because of _me_."

"Ackerly, it's not your fault." Fury comforted, leaning forward.

She looked up at him, wiping her wet cheeks and hoping he missed the spark. "It is! I should be able to control my powers but I can't! Because _I_ failed, Shiori is dead!"

Fury jumped up from his chair and glared down at her. "It's _not_ your damn fault! HYDRA is at _fault_. _They_ experimented on you and caused whatever it is to happen. It's _their fault_ because they did it to you. _Not_ you because you couldn't control it; _theirs_."

She slowly nodded at his words and wiped her cheeks dry. "Okay."

"Say it."

"It." Fury folded his arms with a scowl. "It's not my fault..." She mumbled with an exhale.

"Louder."

She looked at him incredulously but he responded with the same look. Sighing she said, "It's not my fault."

"Say it like you mean it."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes." came the blunt reply.

She sighed once more then shouted with conviction, "It's not my fault! No matter what I say, it's not my fault!"

He smiled proudly at her and sat back down on the armchair. "Good and I want you to continue believing that."

She nodded. After rubbing her face, she looked Fury in the eye, "How is Phil alive?"

There was a short pause. "Alien DNA."

"What the fuck?!"

"You're aware of Project T.A.H.I.T.I."

"Just the name... What the hell is it and what did you do?"

"I created the program to potentially save a fallen Avenger, using Kree DNA. Since I considered Coulson important, I put it into action."

"Oh bloody hell, Nick..." She rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "Side effects?"

"That's classified."

"So there are... Damn and I bet they're bad too." She looked him in the eye and blew out her cheeks, "For God's sake..."

"Phil headed the project."

" _Christ_. No wonder when I asked him about his recovery he said Tahiti was a magical place. Has he experienced side effects yet?"

"Not as far as I know but I have someone on it."

"And how he's Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., damn I have missed a lot."

Fury leaned forward and rested his forearms on his legs. "There is something else I want to discuss."

"It is to do with the huge amounts of supplies being shipped somewhere encrypted?" She asked, curious,

He sighed annoyed and nodded, "How did you know?"

She pointed at her laptop with her thumb, "As I was digging to see that I missed; I saw it. So what is it?"

"It's called Theta Protocol. I'm rebuilding Helicarrier No. 64, so in case of a dire world emergency, it can be recommissioned to help. Hill, Coulson, and the Koenigs know about it, and now you do to."

"Is there any else you're not telling me?"

"I want you to help rebuild it once your back on your feet, if you want too. I'm also going to contact Phil and Meyer for you so they know you're alright."

"Thanks. I've been thinking about it but I need to... to calm myself down before I head back into society."

"I understand." Fury said.

"So where are you heading to next?" She asked, watching him stand. "Europe?"

"Yeah, I'm going to locate and destroy any remaining HYDRA cell. I would offer you to come with me but you need a break. And a long one."

As she pushed herself onto the arm of the couch, she spoke, "Definitely, but I'll be back in action soon."

"Not to soon, I hope." He put a hand on her left shoulder. "Take care of yourself, Gabriella. If you need anything, I have a feeling you'll find me."

"I will. And if I can find you that means you need to bump up your security."

Fury laughed at that, then said, "I'll see myself out." He turned to leave. She had a feeling she forgot to mention something. Something important. What was it?

"Loki's Scepter!" She exclaimed, almost falling off the arm of the chair in realisation. Fury slowly pivoted to face her with an alarmed expression. "HYDRA have Loki's Scepter but I don't know where they keep it."

"Is that all you know?"

She nodded, "Yes. Their base is in Copenhagen if you want to stop by it, but I... I didn't kill everyone there. It might not be safe."

"Right..." Fury rubbed his beard as he thought and nodded, "Right. I'll get on top of that ASAP. I'll talk to Coulson and Hill." He looked her in the eye. "I'll handle this. You just rest."

"Don't worry, I'll be resting. You keep me in the loop, though, I want to know what's going on out there."

Fury gave her a smile. "You've got my word." And with that he turned and left, closing the door behind him. She watched him, through the window beside the door, climb into his small Quinjet and hover for a moment before taking off and disappearing into the air.

Ackerly stared at the empty space he once occupied for a long moment. Then she inhaled a warm lungful of air before turning back to Orion. "Other than resting, what the hell do I do know?" The dog cocked his head at her. "I'm not sitting around and doing nothing." Orion wagged his backside and tail. "Nick didn't specify what kind of rest I had to take..." Orion barked happily. "You'd be alright with another one?" He bobbed his head up and down. "Alright then," she smiled and ruffled his head, "it's time to pay Fay Jacobs a visit and get a new dog." Orion nudged his head against her leg and bound as quickly as his old legs could carry him into her bedroom. After a few seconds, he returned, holding her prosthetic leg in his mouth.

She laughed at him and rolled up her left trouser leg. "You really want another dog around the place, don't you?" He nodded his head. She took it from him, pulled on the sock then the prosthesis. "Ha! You'll be responsible for training them to be as good as you, you know. I can teach the commands but it takes a seasoned pro to get it nailed in the head. Besides, if they play up, you can put them in their place." Orion barked in agreement. She stood up and grinned down at him. "Ready?" He barked again. "Let's go." Ackerly and Orion boarded the Quinjet and took off towards England. They flew for an animal sanctuary run by Fay Jacobs, an old friend of Ackerly's. The sanctuary took in anything from cats to horses and was where she would hopefully find a new dog to add to their duo. This would be a great way to calm herself down and focus on something other than death.

* * *

 **After this one, only two more chapters left! Thanks for reading.**


	19. Chapter 19

Ackerly landed the Quinjet in the field of Fay Jacobs' animal sanctuary, aptly named The Sanctuary. The horses in the field opposite bolted away from the nosy jet landing in their backyard but some approached to see where it was coming from. She opened the ramp and they both ambled out of the jet. Orion bounced around the open field and over to the woman nearing them. Her dyed red hair was in a tight bun as usual, on her face she wore a smile, holstering her pistol. Fay bent down to pet Orion whilst she waited for Ackerly to catch up with them. "You're alive then."

"Evidently." Ackerly replied with a smile. Fay straightened and they quickly hugged.

As they parted, Fay patted the younger woman's back. "So what are you here for? Dog?"

Ackerly nodded. "Yep. Orion and I have decided to get another. I'm taking a break from the world and I thought it's time for one."

Fay draped an arm around Ackerly's shoulders and walked, "Breed? Temperament?"

"A large breed of dog. Good for running and chasing down bad guys. A bitch that doesn't mind being left alone for time, loud noises-explosions and such, easy to teach, gets along with people and other animals, young and fit. Not puppy young but a couple years old."

"Would you mind one with a disability?"

"Not at all. But with where I'd take them, it's better not to have a disabled dog."

Fay nodded, "Alright, fair enough. Go and sit in the grassy pen, I'll bring them out." Ackerly acknowledged and the two women parted.

She headed to the back of the large dog kennels and opened the gate into the spacious, grassy pen. Thankfully the grass was free from dog crap, so she sat down on the grass cross-legged with Orion who quickly drank from the water bowl before joining and laying beside his owner. She closed her eyes and listened to the dogs barking in their kennels, the goats a field over, and the breeze through the trees. It was all calm with no hint of trouble, a stark contrast to the past few weeks. Speaking of Stark, she had half a mind to pay him and Maria, as she now worked for him, a visit, along with everyone else but the other half hold her to wait and relax because she was long overdue a holiday, so that's what she decided to do; take a break from the world and let it be just her, Orion, and the new dog. She was curious to know what Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Steve and Sam, Stark, and Thor had been and were up to lately but that could wait for know. When she next sees them she'd asked, for now it could wait. Concerning her friends, she hoped they've had a better time of the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. than she has. The other Avengers not to much, but Phil and Teagan... she wondered about how they were faring with the whole thing and how well Phil was doing with becoming the Director. She read that they were looking to recruit once-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents around the world so perhaps paying them a visit or contacting them personally at one point wasn't a bad idea after all.

Hearing the unmistakable sound of excitable dog claws on stone, grounded her musings. She stood up and watched Fay with a grin as she juggled holding dogs and opening a gate. But she was a professional at handling animals so the task came naturally to the 40-something year old. Ackerly watched the gate open and Fay enter with three dogs on leads; a German Shepherd, a Rottweiler and a Bernese Mountain Dog. All bitches (female). The dogs stopped seeing Orion stand and slowly move to met them. Fay let go of their leads and watched what happened next. The old dog did the rounds to greet the three new comers; all of the dogs excitedly sniffed each others butts to get a read on who exactly they were dealing with. Once that was over the German Shepherd, Rottweiler and the Bernese Mountain Dog submitted to Orion by rolling over an exposing their bellies.

Ackerly chucked, "Well it's nice to see they know who's boss."

Fay nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they know he's the dominant male."

"Who has luckily had the snip too. Are they all done?"

"Mmm hmm. I know you wouldn't want a dog bleeding on you whenever they are in heat."

"I can cope when it's me. I've never handled a dog on heat."

"You're missin' out, it's an absolute blast. Males fighting over bitches and with each other." said Fay, sarcastically.

Ackerly chuckled. "So what are their names?"

"The Rottweiler is Aquila, she's three years old; the Bernese Mountain Dog with the red collar is Lyra, she's two; and the other is Columba, she's two." Fay pointed to each individual dog as she spoke.

The dogs slowly got to their feet and walked over to her. She kneeled down and pet them. "Now aren't you all adorable."

Fay kneeled down next to her. "They are all very healthy dogs. Lyra did suffer with separation anxiety because of how her owners treated her but she's alright now." She said fussing the dogs. "Aquila was left on my doorstep with a note saying her owner couldn't look after her anymore." She chuckled as Lyra leaped onto Ackerly's back. "Columba's owner died and was left alone in the house for a week, she survived by eating out of the fruit bowl and opening the fridge. The mailman found her."

"Poor things." The doctor pushed Lyra off her back and else to her feet. Aquila chased Orion around the pen with the other two pursuing them. Ackerly glanced at them then looked at Fay. "Now for the real test. Let's see if they immediately turn on me or are curious."

"The deal beaker?" Fay asked.

She nodded, "Or deal maker. Most animals don't like it when I do it. I guess because I've had Orion for a few years before the incident, it didn't really bother him. We both grew with it."

Fay folded her arms and took a step back. Orion glanced over at his owner before promptly stopping and sitting. The three dogs looked at him in confusion. Ackerly whistled to get the dogs attention; their heads turned and looked at her. She took a deep breath and fired a blast that disintegrated before the dog's noses. Orion was calm as he usually was. Aquila stared with wide eyes before slowly backing away. Lyra cocked her head and studied the strange woman in front of her. Columba bared her teeth and snarled with a tense body.

"Columba is out of the question?" Fay asked.

"I'm afraid so." answered Ackerly.

"What about Aquila?"

"She seems scared but not overly so. Lyra looks rather intrigued."

"Should I take Columba back?"

"Yes, she's still scared." Ackerly said.

"I'll be a moment." Fay nodded and walked over to Columba, picked up her lead and started towards the gate. "In the meantime, you can figure out which one you want." Fay left to take Columba back to her kennel.

Ackerly cast her gaze down to the curious Lyra and the unsure Aquila. She decided to sit on the floor to be at their level and reached into her pocket to take out some dog treats. "It's alright, Aquila." Aquila stared at her before gingerly stepping forward. Ackerly held her palm out flat and placed the treat on the middle. Aquila studied the doctor carefully before quickly snatching the treat from her open palm and retreating back. Ackerly did the same but for Lyra. "Your turn, Lyra." Lyra didn't hesitate to bound over and take the treat from her hand. Lyra promptly sat, waiting for another. She hummed thoughtfully before discharging another small blast. Aquila jumped but Lyra wagged her bum and tail, and if she was Human she would be smiling.

Ackerly looked at Orion. "So what do you think, boy? Aquila or Lyra? I can work with the jumpiness of Aquila and the endless energy in Lyra." The old dog got to this feet and paused for thought. Then Orion ambled over to Lyra and sat beside her. "Are you sure? Will you be able to handle this bundle of energy?" Orion looked at Ackerly. She laughed, "Okay, good point. I'm a bundle of energy too."

As she said that, Fay returned and stopped in her tracks, looking at Orion beside Lyra. "You decided?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ackerly nodded and stood up. "Yep, Lyra is the one for us."

Fay smiled and nodded. "Alright then! I'll take Aquila back and in the meanwhile you come around the front and I'll bring out the paperwork."

While Fay took Aquila back to her kennel, Ackerly and Orion lead Lyra around to the front to finalise the adoption. They only waited a few minutes for Fay to return. Ackerly read through the papers and wrote down the appropriate answers to them. Once it was done, she stocked up on dog food and toys for both Orion and Lyra, and walked back to the Quinjet.

"Look after yourself, Ackerly." Fay said having finished patting Lyra goodbye. "And have fun with that little lady."

"Oh I will, we'll have fun!" replied Ackerly with a grin. They hugged, said their goodbyes and Ackerly and her two dogs walked into the Quinjet.

The doctor slowly closed the ramp behind them to gauge Lyra's reaction; she didn't seem to bothered. So she walked towards the navigation console and plotted a return course to her safe house. The Quinjet slowly lifted up from the ground with Lyra bouncing about the jet. Orion laid on the floor watching the young Bernese Mountain Dog. Ackerly laughed at how fed up he looked and endless energy in Lyra. They flew off towards Russia.

* * *

 **This is the penultimate chapter but don't worry! There is a follow up story to this (soon to be posted) on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. category. I'll let you know about more at the end of the final chapter.  
**

 **Until next time!**


	20. Chapter 20

The flight back the hideout was a smooth one. Lyra enjoyed every minute of it and Ackerly found that she was a quick learner when teaching her to sit and not move around too much while the jet was in the air. Orion simply sat and watched his owner train the newcomer before drifting off into a nap. When they landed, she thought it a good idea to nail down Lyra's walking to heel. As the ramp opened, she pulled Lyra to her left side and let the leash slacken. "Lyra. Eyes on me." The dog looked up at her. "Heel." She said tapped her left hip. Lyra cocked her head and the doctor gave her a treat. "Good girl. Right, let's get walking." They slowly walked down the ramp with Orion following on Ackerly's right. Lyra excitedly pulled ahead at the new surroundings. "Heel." She commanded. The dog backed up and walked to heel. "Good girl!" She praised, giving the dog another treat as they continued toward the safe house. Lyra only needed reminding once more before walking to heel without being told.

Ackerly grinned at the dog and unlocked and opened the front door. She released the lead and let Lyra bound into the safe house like a bull in a china shop, only without the chaos but twice the speed. The doctor glanced down at Orion, "Speed is good and all but only if it's trained. We've got our work cut out." Orion slowly padded into the building and she followed him, closing the door behind her.

* * *

By the middle of May, Lyra quickly learned everything Ackerly taught her; from the staying at heel to attacking an enemy; the Bernese Mountain Dog might look harmless but she had a mean jaw. During that time, Ackerly had finally contacted Teagan Meyer and Phil Coulson about their band of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and what they had been up to. Leo Fitz was out of his coma and doing as well as could be expected from spending God knows how long without oxygen. He wouldn't be the same as he was before but at least he was alive, Ackerly had told the pair to which they agreed. They also discussed Jemma Simmons going undercover in HYDRA, and everything that she had been through since leaving the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. That prompted Phil to request that she visit them soon, as everyone would benefit from seeing her again. She had told him that she would soon enough but not just yet because she wanted to finish Lyra's training first. Teagan sent her their location and told her to hurry finishing the training as she wanted to see her friend again in person and not on the screen.

After that, a few weeks later, the training was finished and now she sat on the sofa deciding whether or not to go see them first or see the Hellicarrier Nick was talking about. Her right leg bounced up and down as she thought what to do. As she thought, her laptop beeped. A little startled, she opened it and clicked on the flashing icon. Sam Koenig's smiling face flashed up on screen. "Oh! Hello, Sam." She said, shocked at seeing a Koenig wanting to talk to her.

"Hello, Doctor!" Sam replied. "I've got some good news."

"Go on." She prompted.

"I know Fury told you about our little protect here and I thought you like to know that Coulson is heading this way in a few days. I thought that would be a great idea to get you and him here in the same place after everything that's happened."

She smiled and nodded, "That is good news. Then once we've done I can head to the Playground with him."

"Excellent! Should I tell him you're coming?"

"No, I think I'll surprise him."

Sam laughed and nodding agreeingly, "I look forward to seeing you, Doctor."

"Likewise, Sam." She said with a smile. "Oh! Will it be alright if I brought my dogs?"

"Dogs?"

"It's not just Orion and me anymore. Lyra!" Lyra jumped up onto the couch and nudged the computer screen.

Sam laughed again. "It's nice to meet you Lyra and yes, you can bring her and Orion along."

"Thank you."

"Right, I'll send you our location and I'll see you here in a couple of days."

"Alright. Bye, Sam."

"Bye, Doctor!"

The screen turned to black and she put the laptop on the coffee table, being careful not to knock off Lyra who was spread across her lap. A few moments later and the Theta Protocol's location came through. She sent that location to her Quinjet, ready to use it in a couple days. She glanced down at Orion and Lyra, "Looks like we're heading back into the world. But not just yet, we can have a few more days relaxing here. So what do you want to do?" The dogs looked at each other before looking at her. "Relaxing? Just that? Fair enough." She ended with a shrug and shifted herself into a more comfy position on the couch. Lyra moved from her spot also and laid in the gap between the edge of the sofa and Ackerly's right leg. Orion jumped onto the armchair to his left and curled up, resting his head on the arm of the chair. "Let's see what's going on in the world." She flicked on the television and browsed the channels, both Russian and international or something decent to watch. She was already up to speed on everything but just needed to make sure nothing drastic had changed.

Ackerly, Orion, and Lyra, spent the next two days watching television, playing and generally lazying about the house doing next to nothing. At the end of the second day, the Doctor packed a go-bag for the trip she as didn't know how long she would be away and she doubted the Playground would have dog food. After locking the safe house and making sure it would alert her if anyone tried to use it, they boarded the Quinjet and flew towards the Theta Protocol facility. It was great getting back into the real world no matter how much it sucked at times. She was seeing friends again, which she needed, after not speaking or seeing anyone for so long. Peace was good and all but would drive her crazy if she didn't see people once in a while. They were seeing Phil again, Teagan, May, and the rest of the agents. She wouldn't see Simmons because of her undercover operation, but hopefully she could cheer up Fitz because of his and Simmon's close relationship. She prepared herself for the onslaught of questions regarding what she's been up to, but despite that she missed company.

It's been a long time coming.

End.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading! If you'd like to see what Gabriella gets up to in the Theta Protocol facility and the Playground, then head over to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and find Friends Are the Best Medicine, the first chapter will be up now!  
**

 **Again, thank you for reading!**


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